Still Water
by Kaila.Nicole
Summary: The sequel to The Perfect Stranger. 'I saw a helicopter above me, taking off, someone shouting, and then after a minute or two, silence. “FANG!” I shouted, hoping for an answer. Nothing.'
1. Those Words

AN: And here it is! The long-awaited sequel to The Perfect Stranger!

**WHOOP WHOOP!**

**So… uhh… enjoy!**

I taped the lyrics to my mirror, trying to memorize them in my head as I dressed myself.

I hummed the tune to myself as I slid on my denim mini-skirt, showing off my newly-tanned legs from a whole summer of lying out at the nearest pool.

It wasn't like he was going to see them.

I picked through my closet, wondering what I should wear.

A blue halter top seemed to pop out from all the other colors so I chose it, slipping it over my curled hair.

As I walked back into my room, the words by the mirror seemed to almost reflect on the opposite wall, proving that they wouldn't go away.

Those stupid words.

Why did I have the nerve to tape them up there in the first place?

And why was I so stubborn that I wouldn't take them down?

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, to make sure there were no stray frizzies- as Angel called them.

Another coat of lip gloss found itself on my lips and as soon as I capped it, the doorbell rang.

It was him.

I ditched the words, hoping for a new beginning, and flew down the stairs.

Angel was at the door, smiling and talking nicely just like I had asked her to.

She turned, sensing me before she heard me, and smiled even bigger.

Her blue eyes reflected mine as I took my last steps and turned to the man in the doorway.

My breath caught, knowing this wasn't the person I was supposedly "hooked up" with.

"Hello, Max," His voice ran over my body like velvet.

But I just couldn't say anything.

Suddenly, I felt my body go weak, my senses collapse, and with a last yelp from Angel, I passed out.

I should never have left those words.

**AN: So? How do you like it?**

**I'm trying to figure out a name right now.**

**Hmm… well, you'll know when you read it.**

**Duh, stupid me.**

**Next chapter should be up soon.**

**Sincerely,**

"**Bye, bye Miss American Pie…"**


	2. Anywhere PART ONE

**AN: I'll tell you straight up right now:**

**This chapter starts off where I left off in The Perfect Stranger.**

Have you ever felt that you were just drifting?

Like, not caring about what you had to do, or whatever happened in your past, or anything?

Well, I wished I had felt this feeling as I plunged into the deep abyss that awaited me.

I tumbled down into the cold wetness and felt myself shrinking almost.

Not the most comfortable feeling in the world.

Soon, I was able to open my eyes and was met with a giant black…thing.

I couldn't tell what it was.

That is, until it began to sank.

Then I saw a flash of Hayley's face, resurrected to be my mother's.

Bitch.

I turned towards a bit of light I saw above me and started kicking my legs.

It felt like forever until I got to the top, a good distance away from where I had fallen in.

I saw a helicopter above me, taking off, someone shouting, and then after a minute or two, silence.

"FANG!" I shouted, hoping for an answer.

Nothing.

The water lapped around my body as I placed a hand over my eyes, hoping to catch something in the falling sun.

No brown-haired, sexy, boyfriend to be found.

Shit.

Where was he?

"Fang! Fang, where are you?"

He wasn't answering.

"Oh, God," I gasped for breath as I started to swim.

I had no idea where I was going, but that's where I was headed.

Anywhere.

Anywhere that might lead me back to land, lead me to civilization, and lead me back to Fang.

Problem was… I had no idea how to _get _to this so-called "anywhere".

AN: Yep. Second chappie. Done and done-erer. 


	3. Useless Conversation

**AN: Third chappie awaits you.**

I felt something tickle my face as I cracked open my eyes.

Sand.

That's what was scratching on the side of my face, rubbing hard into my pores, as I brushed it off and sat up.

I was somewhere.

Yeah, changed from anywhere, to somewhere during part of the night where I finally hit land.

Well, somewhere was better than anywhere.

For the most part.

I heard birds calling as I noticed the sun was rising over the shoreline to the east.

Surveying my surroundings, I pulled out Fang's cell phone, which was wasted by now.

Fang had handed it to me when we had been at the hotel, to call him when I had gone out for something, to make sure I was okay.

I shivered, trying to push back the thoughts, and pressed the on switch located on the keypad.

Amazingly, it turned on.

Figures, the School has a cell phone that could survive through wind, water, and fire.

Wouldn't shock me if it lasted longer than the cockroaches in a nuclear blast.

The main screen popped up, showing "I Love Max" in big letters.

I felt a tear slip out of my eye and I noticed my head looking towards the sky, hoping to see his majestic black wings flying overhead.

Like all the other times.

But no, only a tiny leaf that fell from a tree and landed a few feet ahead of me was to be seen.

Dialing my house number- figuring that they wouldn't pick up since it had been ages since I'd seen my family- I quietly waited underneath a tall oak tree.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three r-

"Hello?" A strange voice answered.

Who was this?

"Is- is Mary there?" I asked.

"No. No one lives here by that name. May I ask who's calling?"

"Katrina," I lied.

Fang had warned me that I would have to go by another name.

Although Katrina wasn't a personal favorite.

I would make up once I finished this useless conversation.

"Well, Katrina, there used to be a woman that lived here. But she moved out. Is that who you're looking for?"

Good job, Mommy dearest.

Move away when your kid is trying to get back to you.

"Yeah. Do you have any idea where they moved to?"

"No, I'm sorry honey," The old woman- I think- responded, her voice sweet.

"Oh. Well. Thanks anyway."

"Anytime," And with that, I heard the phone click.

I snapped the phone down, sitting on a nearby tree stump, while I contemplated where to go.

What the hell was I supposed to do?

Fly all over the country to look for a mother who had totally ditched me?

Um… no!

I ran my hands through my soggy hair, wishing I could just rent a hotel room and take a nice hot shower.

As I sat there, I thought up my lists of to-dos:

Somehow obtain money

Take a shower (preferably in a hotel room)

Find Fang

Hope that Fang was still Fang

Not breakdown from number three and four

My eyes filled with more water (like I needed to get any wetter) and they slid down onto the leave-covered ground.

I don't think I obeyed number five very well.

**AN: Short, yes.**

**But the next chapter couldn't be placed in here because it would ruin the effect of this one.**

**Complicated, I know.**

**Sincerely,**

"**Kaila, if you sit in the bathtub, plug in the hair-dryer in the socket, and dump it in the tub with you, you will surely electrocute yourself."**

"**Where have **_**you**_** lived for the past 2.5 seconds? It won't-"**

**SPLASH!**

**ZZZZZZ!!!!!**

"**I gots a boo-boo, Voice."**

"**Point being?"**

"**Screw you"**

**YAY! My sincerely's are back!!!**


	4. Country Roads

**AN: Fourth chappie.**

**Oh boyz.**

I strolled for a good three hours before I came to a barren road that looked to be in the middle of nowhere.

Great.

Another 'where'.

I sighed, clearing my throat, as I stepped onto the long-ago paved road and made my down it.

You know those times you just get so bored you start talking to yourself and then suddenly a song pops into your head about what you were thinking about?

Yeah.

I had that moment.

"I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh," I whispered as the song began playing inside my head.

Where it was surely to get stuck.

But what else was I supposed to do?

"I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away."

I keep your photograph; I know it serves me well 

For these past few hours, I felt like I'd never been through such turmoil.

That I had never met Fang.

I wanna hold you high and steal your pain 

That maybe he was just a distant memory, created by my own thoughts to help me cope with something that had happened.

Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome 

But the cell phone and the words plastered on the screen told me everything I needed to know.

And I don't feel right when you're gone away 

Fang had loved me, I had loved him, and now he was gone.

You've gone away, you don't feel me anymore 

I don't think he could see how much I needed him.

_The worst is over now and we can breathe again_

The worst wasn't over now.

It had just begun.

I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away 

I wanted him, begged for him to be there with me, an arm wrapped around my waist, a smile plastered on his face, softly whispering jokes into my ear.

There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight 

Another lie.

There was so many people left to fight.

And a couple others that I would like to take a pistol to.

I wanna hold you high and steal your pain 

I had to get through this.

I had to.

Cause I'm broken when I'm open 

I knew that Fang wouldn't have wanted me stranded in the middle of a deserted road, crying my eyes out as I almost fell to the ground.

And I don't feel like I am strong enough 

I just wished I could have another day with him.

The last one had just been too long ago, it seemed.

Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome 

Even though it had only been yesterday.

And I don't feel right when you're gone away 

A wave of nausea swept over me.

Yesterday.

This time I did collapse to my knees, head in hands, crying my eyes out.

Cause I'm broken when I'm open 

I usually didn't do this.

I had dated other guys before.

And I don't feel like I am strong enough 

Here I was, almost seventeen years old, and I was literally falling into unconsciousness over a boy.

_Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

But he wasn't just any boy.

He was the guy that had stolen my heart, the one I had lost my virginity to, and the one that I had my heart set on spending the rest of my life with.

No matter how dangerous, I would stick to him like super glue.

And I don't feel right when you're gone away 

A gust of wind blew, swirling my hair around, as I cried even harder.

_Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

Just then, I realized it wasn't just a gust of wind.

And I don't feel right when you're gone 

Something was creating it as I heard the blades of a chopper in the distance.

I cracked open my eyes to see a black helicopter whooshing above me.

"Long time, no see, Maximum Ride," A voice announced over a loudspeaker somewhere on the outside of the aircraft.

Oh, shit.

And that's the last thing I remember.

Yeah, I know, famous last words right?

You've gone away, you don't feel me anymore… 

**AN: OMG! Who was in the helicopter???**

**Find out in the next chappie!**


	5. Xavier's School for Gifted Max's

**AN: Fifth chappie awaits you.**

**Why don't you go ahead and take a crack at it?**

I split my eyes open, my senses flaring as I woke up to a strange smell.

I know most of you are thinking antiseptic or hospital smells.

But nope, baby powder.

And I'm not joking.

"Oh, good! You've woken up!" A voice to the right side of my head startled me, causing my body to jump at least three inches off of the bed I was lying on.

I glanced over and saw a nurse scribbling something down onto her chart.

"Where am I? Who are you?" I mumbled, rubbing my head at the sudden burst of a headache I had just received.

"I'm your nurse. And you're at Xavier's School."

"Who?" I moaned, not even registering the name.

But once I thought about the name, I froze.

School.

"Not like that," The nurse muttered under her breath, not even facing me as she walked out the door.

How did she know what I had been thi-

"We all have special powers, Max. You might as well get used to it around here," The nurse had on a soft smile as she closed the door behind her.

Holy crap.

What had I gotten myself into?

LATER 

The nurse's name was finally announced to me: Jean Grey, when I asked a student at the school later that evening.

Her name was Kitty and she could walk through walls.

"Really?" My eyes wide in amazement,

"Show me."

Kitty shrugged, as if she was asked this everyday, and just… walked straight through the wall.

Um… AWESOME!!!

"Wow. That's so freakin' cool! I wish I could do that," I flopped down one side of my mouth as Kitty settled back into the chair that was next to my bed.

"So… what happened?" I asked Kitty finally as her eyebrow rose.

"Huh?"

"The last thing I remember was someone yelling at me from a big black helicopter. And this school doesn't have one. So who found me?"

Kitty seemed wary, looking back over her shoulder and around the rest of the room.

"Well, there's this guy called Stryker. He's, like, a really big evil dude. Anyway, word got out that you were a really powerful avian-hybrid and he wanted you for his experimentation."

Great. What was with this world and experimentations?

"So how did he know where I was?"

"Stryker has this other evil friend, Magneto, who's an even bigger asshole," Kitty sighed,

"Rogue- you'll meet her later- was almost killed by him. But anyway, Magneto has a mutant that can track other people. Anywhere, anytime."

I nodded, letting my head rest back onto my pillow, but the suspense was not gone yet.

"Then how did I get here?"

"Scott and Jean found out Emerald had tracked you, the Professor tracked her on Cerebro and figured out where they had you. Then Scott and Jean went and rescued you and brought you back here," Kitty explained and I nodded.

"Who's Scott? The Professor?"

"Jean needs to let you out a little sooner," Kitty laughed and I just laughed along, not really understanding.

How big could this school be?

I had only seen four different people: Jean, Kitty, Kurt, and some random kid that entered through the wrong door.

There wasn't that many kids here, was there?

"More than you think, Max," Jean mumbled quietly as she snapped down her chart off of the table.

"But you should probably get up now and go grab something to eat. Considering that you need three thousand calories a day."

"Um… okay," She was starting to freak me out at the "mind-reading" thing.

I knew she was a telepath and all, but dear God… lay off of it, lady.

"Sorry, Max. Just a habit," Jean smirked as she helped me out of the hospital bed, handing me a fresh change of clothes, and steered me to the bathroom.

Good.

Nice, normal clothes.

I liked normal.

Normal drove me away from the thought of him, and I was going to try my best to forget all about him.

For the time being.

At least until I got better, well enough to find him.

**AN: So, Max is at Xavier's School! YAY! I just had to bring X-Men into this story, cause the Flock and them are kinda the same. Ya know? Except… Xavier is older and balder and he is paralyzed and he is a psychic and he has like a billion dollars and he wasn't made in a scientific crack house and-**

**I'm just going to stop.**

**Basically, it's gonna be awesome.**

**And yes, I know that Calysto's (or however you spell it) name is not "Emerald" but that's just so much easier to remember.**

**For anybody that is not familiar with the X-Men, go read up on them.**

**They're awesome!**

**But Maximum Ride is better!!!!**

**WHOO HOO!**

**Stick around for the next chappie!**


	6. Streams, Rivers, Invasions, and Boston

**AN: Sixth chappie.**

**Holla at a gangsta.**

**He, he, he.**

"So… what do you guys do around here for fun?" I asked the rest of the teenagers spread across the huge dining room table.

"Um… study. Work. No fun," John, the emo-looking one of the group shrugged as he flicked with his lighter,

"Basic school shit."

Rogue rolled her eyes, speaking in her most Louisiana-voice to me,

"Ignore him, Max. He's just so damn depressed. There's plenty of stuff to do around here. You could even fly to New York probably."

The others nodded, agreeing, as they shoved food into their mouths.

Ha, if they only knew.

New York was definitely not my most favorite spot to go, nor was it at the top of my list.

Well, to the top of "DO NOT GO OR YOU WILL DIE" list.

I snorted at Rogue's comment and she gave me a funny look.

"Sorry, it's just that I've had the worst times in New York, hands down," I explained and she nodded, then went back to her dinner.

Everybody was quiet for a while so I decided to break the ice,

"So… who's Scott?"

That got the conversation going.

Or at least an outburst of fifteen-minute laughter.

"Scott Summers? Oh, God. You haven't met him yet?" Bobby was choking on his sandwich as John muttered,

"Lucky," Underneath his breath, this time actually laughing.

"Well, let's tell you a few things about Scott Summers: the number one thing to do to piss him off is to rearrange his shirts. Kitty got boathouse duty for a month cause she took away all his black pants and placed them in the washer with a bunch of white clothes," Bobby explained and I started giggling.

"He's speaking the truth! Boathouse duty is _not_ fun guys, try not to get it. That place _smells_!" Kitty complained as she got up to rinse her plate off.

"Boathouse?" I asked and John gave me a look like "duh".

"You guys have a boat?"

"Yeah. Right by the lake, durk a dur!" Adam made a stupid face and rolled his eyes at me.

He was eighteen, the oldest of the bunch, so he thought he had some power over everybody else.

Psshhaaa. Wait till he met Fa-

My eyes lit up in tears and I immediately excused myself from the table, running out the doors to the main lobby.

Which was full of adults.

Great.

I turned, sprinting out the double doors that hopefully led to the outside.

Boy was I right.

I was met face to face with… nature.

There were trees and streams and lakes and just about everything in a Thomas Kinkade painting of a meadow.

The sun was halfway down, spreading light throughout the tree limbs.

I let my breath out, a tear escaping down my face, as I moved forward, transfixed by this place's magnificence.

Walking at least for ten minutes, I sat myself down on a rock that faced the lake, where the water was gently lapping against the shore.

"Max?" I heard jogging shoes behind me as I turned to be face-to-face with a boy-who's name I hadn't found out yet.

"Yeah?" I decided to respond with.

I was calm now.

For the most part.

"You okay? You looked pretty torn up when John snapped at you," The boy shrugged, trying to play it cool now that I wasn't bawling, curled into a little ball.

"Yeah. I'm fine. It just got me thinking about… stuff. What John said didn't have anything to do with it," I told the boy, wondering why he was still standing there.

"Oh. Ok. Well, Rogue sent me out here to check on you. I guess I better be heading in," He turned and then was gone, but I could still hear his footsteps as he walked away, slow and trudging.

I shrugged, oh well.

My eyes were mesmerized by the water: how it sifted through the sand and leaves that fell gracefully to its top layer.

Water was my favorite thing, back in school, to draw in my sketchbook.

But for some reason, I hated the ocean.

Hated it.

The whole idea of it, of that you couldn't see the end of it.

A river or a small stream was my preference.

Even though you couldn't see where it stopped, you could follow it and find out.

The ocean you could only go so far before there was not bottom, nothing but seawater surrounding you.

While I was contemplating this, I heard a few twigs crack behind me.

My head swiveled, senses alert, as I searched for the source.

Soon, Jean and a man a little higher than her with a really expensive-looking pair of shades emerged out of the forest, holding hands and looking at each other.

Suddenly, Jean laughed and I raised an eyebrow.

What was she laughing at?

"Looks like we have company," Scott motioned towards me and I blushed, rising to leave.

"It's okay, Max. You don't have to leave. We just like to hang out here and get away from all the students," Jean smiled gently at me and I nodded.

I was beginning to like this woman.

And I was in love with her hair.

It was so long and thick and red, so unlike mine, and so special.

I had seen nobody else with this type of hair.

Ever.

"Really?" Jean asked and I nodded.

And I was also beginning to grow accustom to her invading my mind.

"So who's this?" I motioned to the guy, who grinned at me, releasing his hold from around Jean's waist, to shake my hand.

"I'm Scott Summers. You must be Max?"

I would have keeled over and laughed, having heard everything about this guy, but I could tell that Jean and him were an "item", so I left that part of my brain alone, and shook his hand.

"Yep," I quietly replied, my eyes shooting everywhere besides the couple.

"Well, I've gotta go. Homework and stuff," I shrugged, waving bye, and trudged on up the hill.

"You're right. She is sweet. Unlike most of the kids around here," I heard Scott whisper and I was amazed.

Rogue had told me Scott hated everyone.

Except Jean, of course, and the Professor, whom I hadn't met yet.

Oh, well.

I had enough time to blow.

I took the first step into the mansion before sirens went off and soon kids started scattering around, flinging themselves into random express routes that appeared out of no where.

"What's going on?!" I screamed and heard airplanes above me.

Oh, shit.

They're coming for me.

I found Kitty in one of the hallways and followed her as she ran into Bobby, John, and Rogue.

Also with them was some very buff, rough looking guy with claws coming out of his knuckles.

Um… ok….

But I had no time to worry about that as Bobby froze up a whole hallway, keeping us between some ninja-looking guys to attack us.

"Who are they?!" I screamed as we took off down a cement-paved hallway that was hidden behind a wall, the buff guy ahead of everyone, slicing out the troops.

"Stryker's army!" He called back and turned sharply to the right and dropped down a hole.

"Are you kidding? I'm not going down there!" Kitty screeched as John slipped out of sight, followed by Bobby and Rogue.

"Come on, Kitty! You can fall through the earth, and you're scared of a stupid little hole?" Came John's voice as Kitty rolled her eyes, gave me a last glance, and dropped.

I spread out my wings, just incase, and tightly squeezed through the gap.

Once I landed, the others were already twenty feet ahead of me in a huge garage.

At least thirty or so cars filled the space, along with a random motorcycle with giant X's on the wheels.

They sure were obsessed with the "X's", weren't they?

Every car had that on their tires, also.

"Hop in," The older guy- whose name I was dying to find out so I wouldn't have to go "um… claw dude?"- slammed open a blue Mazda's door and climbed into the driver's seat.

"This is Cyclops's car," Bobby informed the guy, who shrugged,

"Who cares? Get in."

Kitty dove right into it, not needing a door, as John and her climbed into the backseat.

Rogue took the passenger seat and I was left standing beside it.

"Well, get in, kid," The guy barked and I narrowed my eyes at him.

Nice attitude, there, Sparky.

"Whatever," I shrugged, acting like I didn't care, but his words had sliced at me, angry and deep.

Bobby and John scooted over to make room as I slid between the back window and Kitty.

A slot opened, about the size for this car, leading out to the driveway where lights were searching for kids over the grounds.

The older man sped out, driving like a freakin' maniac, as he turned the curves and raced along an abandon dirt road.

"Where are we headed, Logan?" Rogue asked.

Logan. Hmm… I was betting Burt or some rough name.

"Storm and Jean are in Boston. We'll go there," Logan mumbled, almost so silently that I couldn't catch it.

And I have amazing hearing ability, thanks to the oh-so gleeful scientists who just love me so much.

"My parents live in Boston," Kitty muttered, sounding surprised.

Well, lucky you, Kitty that you still _have_ parents, I thought to myself, but bit it back.

"Good," Was all Logan said as he sped on into the night.

**AN: Yeah, yeah. I know Bobby's parents live in Boston, but just get over it, peoples! Kitty's in the story now, and she's not so "oh, BOBBY!" and they WON'T hook up.**

But who was the boy at the lake with Max?

Hmm… could he be….?

Stick around and find out!!!


	7. Where's Superman When You Need Him?

AN: Seventh chappie. Woo! I'm on a roll! 

**Holla at a playa.**

**He, he, he.**

Kitty unlocked the front door to the house, taking tentative steps forward, as if wary of this environment.

I know I would be if I came back to my house.

"Mom? Dad? Steven?" Kitty called and there was a sudden movement to my right.

I flinched, ready to fight, fists clenched, when I saw it was only a tabby cat.

Logan's claws had unleashed and he was trying to be as quiet as possible to slide them back in.

Probably just as embarrassed as I was.

"Anybody home?" Kitty tried again.

Nothing.

"I guess they're out," John commented in that dull voice of his.

It must take a lot to excite this boy, I thought to myself as we traveled into the living room.

Silence.

It was kinda eerie.

So, we all decided to take a seat in the living room and to wait for Storm or Jean to radio us on Logan's cell phone.

"What's on MTV?" Bobby asked as John and he flopped onto Kitty's couch and switched the television.

Rogue and Kitty traveled upstairs to her bedroom, which left Logan and I to stand around, arms crossed.

"So… what's your name, kid?" Logan gruffed, his eyes narrowing down at me.

"Max. Yours?" I replied sharply.

"Logan."

I nodded, turning my attention away from him.

"What's your power? Telekinesis?"

"Cause we all know how much you love them," John muttered underneath his breath.

Logan gave him a nice slap in the back of the head before I could respond,

"Nope. I can fly."

"Like I said, telekinesis," Logan answered in a "duh" kind of voice.

"No. Like, with _wings_," I said and he raised an eyebrow.

"Show me," Logan nodded, eyes searching over my back to expect them to come leashing out like his claws.

I shrugged and slipped off my hoodie, revealing my shirt with rips in the back of it.

I stood in an area of the living room that I guessed would have enough room and shook my wings out, stretching them out to their full length.

Which was about thirteen feet long, just incase you were wondering.

"Whoa," Bobby muttered as I swished them around, grinning from having them crammed this whole week.

"Like I said, you really need to-" Rogue stopped mid-sentence to gape.

"Those things are so fucking cool!" Kitty awed and received a low rumble from Logan, referring to her language.

"Oh, sorry, Logan. But aren't they awesome? They're like coffee and cream mixed together," Kitty described as I began to grow uncomfortable under everyone's gaze.

John just blinked, wearing the same expression, but I could see from the look in his eyes that he was amazed too.

"Nice," Was all Logan said, keeping it short and simple.

But with my hawk-vision, I could detect the slightest uplift of his mouth.

AKA: A smile.

From Logan.

Suddenly, a loud ringing noise escaped from Logan's pocket.

"Hello?"

I could hear from the other end also,

"Hey, Logan," It was Jean.

"Oh, hi, Jean. Where are you guys at?"

The teenagers were winking at each other, nudging Bobby in the ribs, as they watched Logan peculiarly.

I didn't see what the big deal was. Jean already had a… oh.

"Just outside of Boston. How many kids do you have with you?"

"Bobby, Rogue, Kitty, John, and Max," Logan replied, now getting down to business.

"Do you know about the rest of the kids? Are they all right?" A voice appeared on the line that I had never heard before.

Storm, I was presuming.

"Haven't got any word on them. Hank took the rest of them. Some with Stryker," Logan winced slightly at this.

Great. Another psycho in the world having kids in his power.

No idea what he was going to do with them.

"All right. We'll be there in about… three minutes," Jean was back on the phone again and Logan nodded,

"See ya then. Bye."

"Three minutes?" I gawked.

"Fast jet. Best one out there," Logan muttered before flipping open the phone to do something.

"It'd be a shame if we lost it, too. That thing's worth over one million dollars," Bobby informed me.

For some reason, in the back of my mind, I knew he shouldn't have said that.

But I didn't know why then, and I guessed I would find out later.

Soon, the sounds of a jet could be heard and we all flew out the front door.

My eyes grew wide as the gigantic black jet landed right in front of us, unleashing a ramp.

Jean and a dark-colored woman with white hair-Storm- were on board, talking to each other about something.

I registered the words "can't figure out where they are" and "he'll be fine".

Jean just shook her head, placing both hands on her temples, and concentrated.

"Where's the Professor? And Scott? You didn't take them with you?" Bobby asked and Storm shook her head in that way that said "not now".

Oh.

Jean slammed her hands down on the controls, accidentally bringing back the ramp before Logan had made it into the jet.

"Ouch," He jumped as the edges caught his jeans.

"Sorry," Jean mumbled and directed the jet upwards.

And just like that, we were flying high.

"Where are we headed?"

I stared out the window as I saw two black forms in the distance.

"What's tha-" I was about to ask what they were, when a large explosion ripped open the top of the jet.

Someone screamed as Bobby cried,

"ROGUE!"

**AN: LOL. Rogue couldn't fasten her belt AGAIN! Shame, shame, shame. (inside joke)**

I panicked, knowing that I had no other choice than to get her, as I spread open my wings and slipped through the gaping hole.

I saw Rogue's form in the distance and I narrowed my eyes, flying into super-speed that got me there in over two seconds.

Rogue grabbed onto me as I headed back over to the jet.

Suddenly, some type of missile erupted from two black jets below me, heading toward the X-Jet.

They slammed into it and the jet began to loose altitude.

Fast.

I flew, Rogue in my arms, as I watched as the rest of the X-Men dropped down to their grave markers.

Where's Superman when you need him?

**AN: Blah. I hate Superman. But the timing was perfect and so were the words.**

**But that's life.**

**Anyway, stick around.**

**Two chappies in one night is awesome.**

**Wanna make it three?**

**Five reviews will get you three.**

**Quite a deal, I say.**


	8. Authors NOTE

**THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!**

**Anyway, I know most of you are confused as to why I am putting X-Men in here.**

**Well, since Maximum Ride is part X-Men, I decided I should give them a little bit of credit.**

**But… wait,**

**They are not going to be in the whole story.**

**Do not worry about that.**

**In fact, probably in the next chapter, Max will be… somewhere else.**

**Can't tell you where yet cause that will ruin the story.**

**But just wade it out guys and enjoy it cause this story is gonna take off pretty soon and get back to the first chapter, in the present tense.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading this and being so understanding (and if you STILL don't get it, wait two chapter and then read again, if that will solve your X-Men problem).**

**LOL.**

**Just kidding.**

**Huggles to you all, distressed or not,**

**K to the A to the I to the L to the… what's the other letter:)**


	9. Free Falling and AKA's

**AN: Yo, guess what comes on tonight?**

**New GHOST HUNTERS!!! HOLLA!!!**

**I so happy!**

**And last night, Law and Order: SVU came on!**

**New episodes for both of my favortest shows!**

**High-five!**

**Anyway, here's the… um… eighth chappie.**

**Enjoy, says Olivia and Elliott and Jason and Grant and Steve and Tango and Donna and Fin and Munch and Kragen and…um… the monkey!**

I readjusted Rogue into my arms, speeding down toward the hole in the jet.

I threw her down into it, making sure that she'd grabbed onto something this time, and sped to the very front tip of the jet.

_Max what are you doing? Stop! You're going to kill yourself!_

Jean was staring wide-eyed at me as Storm was messing with the controls; glancing back every now and then to make sure everyone was all right.

I could see Logan strapping down Rogue and barking orders at everyone else.

They had maybe a minute- possibly seconds- before they were all crushed and killed.

Suddenly, I placed both of my hands on the front of the jet and pushed upwards.

I begged and pleaded and prayed to God that I was able to do such a thing.

So far, none of this was working.

I pressed harder and actually noticed the jet letting up a bit.

That's when one of the jets that had fired the missiles came up beside me and crushed me against the X-Jet.

I screamed in agony, feeling the weight of the airplane against my side.

Jean threw her hands to her head and fell to the floor.

What was happening?

Logan rushed over to her, wrapping his arm around her and the empty pilot's seat so they wouldn't fly away.

Just then, I noticed the jet behind me ripping apart, piece-by-piece.

The pilot freaked, pressing the eject button, and was gone in a matter of two seconds.

Max… don't do this… 

"_Jean I have-"_

Wait.

That wasn't Jean.

Stop what you're doing, Max! You're going to kill yourself! 

"_So what if I do, huh? It's not like you're here to stop me or something!"_

I was furious.

It was him.

Fang.

He was inside my head, somehow, talking to my telepathically.

In other situations, I would have gladly dropped anything I was doing and told him how much I loved him and asked Fang where he was.

But nope, stupid ol' stubborn me was now yelling at him to go away.

Smooth, Max, very smooth.

_Please… I wish I could be next to you. But I can't._

"_And what is that?"_ All the while I was having this once-in-a-lifetime talk with my missing boyfriend; the plane was growing closer and closer.

I struggled, grunting and crying, as Fang yelled to me in my mind,

STOP IT, MAX! Forget about them! You won't survive! 

"_And how do you know this?"_

_I've seen it happen… hundreds and millions of times since we left each other. Please… don't tell me what I think is true. Don't prove Her right, Max. Don't. Please. I love you and I need you to be strong for me._

I, of course now breaking down, was in tears as I lightened my grip on the plane.

Jean was standing with Logan now, waving her hand to get me out of the way.

But I wouldn't.

I was going to save these people no matter what.

I had only been with them for a short amount of time, but I knew this was the right thing to do.

It wasn't like I was ever going to see Fang again, alive.

But I had to ask Fang one last question before I died,

"Am I ever going to see you again, Fang? Ever?" 

I could almost hear him sigh, and I knew what that meant.

No.

I would never see Fang again, alive or dead.

There would be no purpose to go through all this living, this day-to-day struggle of searching for my answers in the world.

Screw it all. I just wanted to be placed in the ground, safe and secure, in my own little wooden box, where everyone would forget about little old me.

So, with that, I braced myself for the impact and hoped to God that He would take me with Him peacefully.

I hoped this wouldn't hurt.

_MAX!_ Both Fang and Jean were screaming inside my mind at this point.

_Max, you're stronger than this! _Fang yelled inside my brain, blanking every thought or memory, every motion or any item I'd had saved in there.

It was just… him.

_Now tell me that you haven't given up! Tell me that this life is not a lie and that you're going to see my again. I have no idea if you're going to or not, but it's your choice, Max. You save this jet and it's all over. No more living, no more friends or family, and no more me. I'm not promising you that you will see me again, but I'm saying there's a chance._

I had enough time to breath before he continued.

_What's your choice, Max? Make it now._

Finally, after all this time, I slipped my hands away from the aircraft.

Jean told me she'd take care of it and I spread out my wings again after holding them in so they wouldn't rip off.

There was only one tiny problem.

Since I was falling to earth with such a momentum and at such a great height, if I unleashed my wings right now, they would just rip off like tissue.

Shit.

"_Fang? FANG HELP ME!"_

_Max slow down!_

"_That's not going to help the problem! I CAN'T STOP!"_

_Oh, no, Max! Oh, God. I can't lose you! You can't die… no… _

I sobbed, watching as the ground grew closer and closer.

My eyes traveled over to the jet, that was just mere inches away from the ground, like me.

_MAX! _

Those were the last words I heard, sent to me from a source that I didn't know if it was my own mind talking to me or not.

But I really didn't have time to think on that subject; instead, I just crashed into the ground.

**AN: Oh, shiz.**

**This is bad.**

**Really bad.**

**But I bet Jason or Elliot or Grant could take a fall like that, right?**

**(Turns to Jason, El, or Grant)**

**El: Um… no. Crackhead. (Walks off)**

**Jason: I'm gonna… um… wash the van now… (Runs away)**

**Grant: Why did you name me Home Skillet? Seriously. Do you have major problems?**

**Me: Dude, I have written over twelve stories with just random shit happening. And I dream about Fang shirtless every night (**_**But who DOESN'T???!!!**_**) I've also written some psycho stories where a couple gets murdered to death. And I'm 14. Does that answer your question?**

**Grant (AKA HOME SKILLET to me and Kayla AKA my best friend for like… ever): um… not really…**

**Me: See. That's why you're Home Skillet.**

**Grant: I still don't get it.**

**Me: me either. But that's life, right?**

**Max: (pops up out of no where) and I'm taking it that life is causing me to fall three billion feet towards the ground?**

**Me: (giggles) maybe…**

**STICK AROUND FOR NEXT CHAPPIE!!!!**


	10. Chasing Squirrels

**AN: Ninth chappie.**

**Holla at a trap star.**

**LOL.**

**Me + Young Jeezy trap stars.**

I heard voices.

Shocking, right?

I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't.

"Wha?" I- guess- I said.

I really couldn't understand myself.

I made out,

"She's awake," and, "Shh! She needs her rest!"

It sounded like two little girls.

Finally, I coughed what seemed like the only air in my body out, and cracked open my eyelids.

White.

That's what I was met with.

A white ceiling with white walls and white floors.

And a white- locked- door.

Yay. Just another replica of the School.

I craned my neck to search for the voices.

Seated right next to me, strapped down to a hospital bed, was a blonde little girl about the age of six or seven.

"Hi," She grinned and I could just feel myself warmed by her presence.

Or maybe it was the drugs.

Who knew?

"Hey," I croaked and tried to clear my throat again.

"Look! She's awake! I wonder what her name is."

"Well why don't you go ahead and ask her?"

"You. I'm scared of new people, you know that."

"Come on, Nudge, be the brave one for once."

"Sorry. You're the psychic."

I blinked at the two little girls.

Something was strange about this conversation.

Their mouths weren't moving.

And if that meant they were having telepathic conversations… why was I able to hear them?

Holy (insert swear word of your choice here).

I'm telepathic.

Sweet!

"So what's your name?" The blonde girl asked sweetly as she turned back towards my direction.

"Max. Yours?"

"Angel. And this is Nudge," Angel motioned with her head to a chocolate-colored eleven-year old beside her.

"Hi, Nudge," I smiled weakly and Nudge nodded, her eyes wide.

There was a grumble about pancakes from the other side of the room and I glanced over, jumping when I saw two other people.

Boys, to be specific.

The one who had mumbled "I'd like pancakes" looked to be about eight or nine, with blonde hair (like Angel's).

It wouldn't surprise me if they were brother and sis-

"It's cause we are," Angel interrupted and I jumped up as far as the straps on my arms would let me.

Well… privacy invasion much?

"Sorry. I'm just scared about newcomers," Angel shrugged and went back to Nudge.

Makes sense.

The other boy was about my age, with reddish blonde hair, and a tall build.

I blinked once.

And then twice.

And once more just to make sure I wasn't crazy.

I had seen this boy before.

I raked through my mind, trying to figure out where I had seen him.

But nothing came up.

Then I remembered.

The plane crash.

Waves of nausea crashed upon me as my world spun, my hands clinging to the bed rails, and doctors started rushing into the room.

"Max! Max, listen to me, all right?" A voice shouted above the others.

Technically, he didn't shout.

It was sort of a hushed whisper, which I could hear over everything.

Strange, huh?

"What am I doing here? Where am I? What happened to Jean and Logan and Storm? Where are they?!" I snapped at the voice and suddenly everything stopped.

My eyes cracked open a peek to see a brown-haired man standing over me.

"Max, I don't know how to tell you this but…"

"Where are they?! Did they survive? They had to because Jean would have stopped the plane and-"

"Max, everything you experienced these past weeks is all… erroneous."

"What does that mean?" I asked, fearful of the answer.

God, this could not be happening.

How could I have forgotten about them?

I mean, they were my life for a few weeks. How could they have just slipped my mind like th-

"We found you by the lake, Max. I don't know what you experienced while you were in your coma, but none of it was true. You were here the whole time, Max. In this very bed."

My eyes narrowed and I felt a growl forming in my lower throat, blood coursing through my veins,

"LIAR!" I screeched, tugging against my straps as I snapped one of them off.

"THEY DID EXIST! Jean, Logan, Storm, Kitty, John, Bobby, Rogue… all of them! They were there with me when the plane was blown to bits! I almost saved them but thanks to Fang he said Jean could take care of it so…"

I dropped my voice as the man beside me flinched.

"Fang?" His tone was low now.

Threatening.

Great, not another one of these losers.

"Fang? You know him?"

"Um… yeah. He's my boyfriend."

"Fang, Samuel's son?"

"YES!" I screamed, annoyed with this man now.

He was pissing me off.

First, telling me that the X-men weren't real and now dissing on my boyfriend.

Can we say jackass?

Suddenly, the man left.

No whispers, no thoughts ( I was trying out the new mind-reading power), and no comments.

Nothing.

Like a puppet on a string, or something.

Who knew? Maybe he was.

The way these crazy people had their crazy ways of "controlling".

"So… what was that all about?" The older boy across from me asked as he woke up, yawning.

"Dr. Batchelder was talking to Max. She woke up, Iggy! Isn't that great?" Angel bounced (well, as much as bouncing can do when you're strapped down to a metal hospital bed that should be for crazy people and not a six year old).

"Sweet. So what's your name?" Iggy asked, his eyes moving towards a little past my direction.

What was he? Blind?

"Actually, he is," Angel whispered and I snapped my mouth shut.

Oh.

Whoops.

"Yeah. Get used to it. Anyway, why don't you tell us about yourself? Maybe it'll wake Gaz up," Iggy shrugged, motioning over to the sleeping form beside him.

"Go 'way, Ig. Chasing squirrels."

Iggy winked, smirking, and whispered next to Gazzy,

"Oh, no, Gaz. The squirrels are getting away! Go get 'em, Gaz! Hurry!"

The little boy ran, his legs thumping against the paper-thin mattress as he huffed and breathed out, concentration etched onto his face.

"Chasing squirrels, eh?" I giggled and we all laughed as Gazzy dove for a squirrel.

And crashed his bed into the wall.

**AN: Aww… I love this chapter.**

**Don't ask me why, it just shows that the other Flock is still playful even though they're tied up in a hospital room.**

**Tenth chappie coming your way soon!**


	11. Hologram

**AN: Tenth chappie.**

**Holla at a kid with strings attached to him.**

I stayed awake for the rest of the day, trying to figure out more about these kids.

"So… how did you all wind up here? And where exactly _is_ here?" I asked as we were chewing on whatever the nurses had thrown at us.

It tasted like thrown-up bacon and grits.

Yeah… gross.

"Um… well… we came from the School. And then these people found the four of us and we were captured. And here is- technically- South Hills Medical Institute," Iggy explained before adding,

"But I like to call it Hell."

I laughed as Angel gave Iggy a pointed look.

"I see."

"So what's your story? And who's Fang?" Iggy asked as he chugged his orange juice down.

I breathed out slowly.

"At the age of two, my parents were killed and the School took me. They gave me wings and a bunch of powers. Then they released me when I was three or four. I lived with adoptive parents. They had only told me that my old parents were crack addicts and they gave me away," I growled at the thought of that old bastard. My dad.

How could he even expect me to call him that after what he did?

"And I just grew up normally," I decided to not tell them about the other thing,

"But then I met Fang, this guy, and on our third date I ran away with him. I hated my life at home. But he told me everything that had happened. Because he lived at the School also. In fact, he was The Director- Samuel's- son."

"Wha?" Gazzy's mouth dropped and I nodded.

"Yeah. Fang told me about my past, that my parents had been murdered because they wouldn't give me up. I never knew why they had chosen me and only me. I might not ever," I shrugged,

"But for about a month, Fang and I were on the run from the School because they wanted us back- ya know?"

"Bastards," Iggy muttered.

"IGGY!" Angel warned.

"Sorry, Ange," Iggy waved his hand for me to continue.

"And things didn't go so well. Ann- the real Director- tricked us and caused Fang to let her basically have his life. Which wasn't good- at all. Then we escaped from the Essex Industries- a part of the School. But unfortunately, Ann found us and the helicopters we were placed in crashed into this lake," I cleared my throat.

"That's the last time I remember seeing Fang- breaking out of the helicopter- and then… he was gone. Everything was gone. I woke up on the shore the next morning and then… blacked out apparently," I shrugged and chewed some more on the fake food.

"Wow," Nudge whispered, eyes wide.

"Yep. Kinda sucks to be a teenager in this era, huh?" I asked to Iggy.

"Definitely," He sighed.

And just as they were all digesting this, a fat whitecoat burst in, evil grin on face, as he asked us,

"Which one of you knows who 'Fang' is?"

My heart stopped.

Holy.

Shit.

"Why?" I replied with a shaky voice, bits of orange and bacon dripping out of my mouth as it hung wide open.

Kinda nasty, but who cares at a time like this!!!

The man smiled, walking over to uncuff me from the bed, and hauled me out into the hall.

"This is he, yah?" The man pointed the opposite wall and I knew I must be in Heaven.

Or somewhere where Fang existed.

Because no more than six feet away from me stood Fang, right smack dab in the middle of the hallway.

"Fang?" I choked out and reached over to touch his face.

But I couldn't.

The cheekbone of his face disappeared for about a mille-second, and then reappeared.

"Oh, no," I muttered, gazing back at this beautiful fake creature in despair.

"NO! How could you do this!" I slammed my fist through the hologram; sure of what this was now.

One of those stupid tests!

"I fucking hate you! Damn it, Fang! How could you do this to me?!" I beat my knuckles against the figure that just blinked.

My fists smashed into the wall behind him- starting to bleed.

"No… you can't do this to me, Fang. You can't be phony! You can't… not be him! Please…" I dropped my head against the wall, my eyes shimmering with the metallic glow that surrounded me.

"All right. Dat is enough. Take de test subject away," The doctor waved his hand to an assistant by his side.

Immediately, the sparkles faded away.

I reared back, slamming my fist against the doctor's face.

I ran inside the room, shutting the door shut and locking it.

Guess they hadn't planned on that, had they?

They thought I would just go sit in the corner and cry my eyes out?

Guess they should have known me better.

Cause I was pissed and I had a masterful plan forming inside my head.

"What's going on?" Angel asked as I tugged off her straps.

"We're getting out of here. That's what," I snapped bravely and rushed over to Iggy's bed.

"You know they're just gonna find us and bring us back, right?" Iggy gazed sadly at my face with those sightless blue eyes.

"Not this time," I smirked, anger filling my senses.

Not this time.

Most definitely.

And I was figuring that the hologram was going to be a great part of this escape.

I just had to… ya know… get it.

Somehow.


	12. Bipolar Zebras at Longhorn Stadium

**AN: Twelfth chappie.**

**Holla at a bipolar zebra.**

**LOL**

**Inside joke on the bus as I was coming home.**

"So… um… what exactly is your plan again?" Iggy whispered to me as we crowded near the door, ready to put the plan (that he had already obviously forgotten) into action.

"All right. We're gonna break out of here. Find out where they keep the holograms. Grab a couple of those, since there's bound to be more. Angel can figure that out with her mind reading abilities," Yeah, I know, why not use mine?

Well, I had just figured out I had them so I didn't think it would be very wise to trust me.

"Then we're gonna bust out of here."

"All right… how?" Iggy questioned and I growled at him.

In truth, I had no idea. I was just planning to run along the halls and bust out, laughing as they watched us fly away.

Boy was I wrong.

I unlocked the door, motioning for the rest to follow me as I saw that the hallway was clear.

We took off silently, moving like cats, as we navigated the different hallways, using Angel's powers to figure out where the whitecoats were.

"The room with the hologram-thingies is two doors down, on the right, down the next hallway on the left," Angel whispered to me and I nodded.

We took that way, running swiftly to slide against the wall right before the door.

"Gazzy, blast 'em," Iggy muttered as Gazzy nodded, pulling a tiny clip out of his pocket.

"What's tha-" I was about to ask before Gazzy threw open the door, tossing the tiny object into the room and covering his ears.

BOOM!

"Oh. That," I mumbled to myself and ran inside, dodging scattered debris.

"Better hope none of the important things got ruined," I warned Gazzy, but he caught that I wasn't being too harsh.

Although if all the holograms were destroyed, he would be in major trouble.

But I just ruffled my almost-little brother's hair, and quickly went to work.

I grabbed and smashed as much stuff that wasn't important- to us at least.

"Let's roll! We gotta go!" I yelled to the others and stashed a couple hologram chips into my jean pockets.

I could hear yelling and running already coming from down the hall.

But we would be gone by the time they reached the room.

"You heard her, guys, let's bust a move!" Iggy called to the rest of the kids.

Gazzy burst out laughing as he reached us.

I gave Iggy a look (like he could see it, right?).

But oddly, Iggy turned in my direction, shrugging,

"Tell you later. Right now, we need to… roll. Or fly. Whichever suits you better," And with that Iggy pulled out a smaller bomb, tossed it against the wall, and it immediately cut out a hole wide enough for all of us.

Just as Angel and Nudge were flying out, something caught my eye.

"Go on. I'll be right out," I tapped Iggy and he nodded, not saying another word as he slid through the gap.

I picked up the sheet of paper and the photo lying beside it.

Oh, my God. The picture was o-

"Max! Let's go!" Gazzy yelled before slipping through and speeding off into the sunset.

"Right behind ya!" I called and unfurled my wings and dove through the hole.

I could hear the whitecoats opening the door and yelling and cursing at us.

Hey, it's their problem they left five bird kids alone in a room.

Two of them being professional bombers, one (or two counting me) mind reader, and a little girl who was so scary at how little she talked that you thought she was dead.

_We made quite a team_, I thought, as we flew off into the distance.

"Where are we, Ange?" I asked the little girl, tucking the photo and information into my back pocket safely.

That would be for later.

"Right above the Texas Longhorns Stadium," Angel pointed down as a game was occurring, the Longhorns scoring a touchdown.

"Go Longhorns!" Iggy shouted and laughed, knowing nobody could hear him.

He was enjoying this- I could tell.

Flying around, being free.

Hey, I missed it too.

And I missed something else, too.

But thinking about it right now wasn't going to help get these kids away from that hellhole.

So, I trudged on, letting my wings slice through the wind, as I caught up with Iggy and Gazzy who were comparing the Longhorns to the Patriots.

"Men," I rolled my eyes playfully and Gaz stuck his tongue out at me.

Good to see all this mental hospital stuff wasn't scratching at his ego.

"So, Max, where are we headed now? Where are we gonna go?" Nudge whispered as she silently flew up beside me.

She was a little shy and I'm sure she wasn't as comfortable around me as the others were.

She might have been betrayed once and didn't want to again, so she was being cautious.

And I wasn't going to put that against her.

"Well, my sundown, I say we find a hotel. I've got some money. But we should really try to get away from this area. I'm saying make it to Fort Worth and grab a hotel."

"Ok," Nudge smiled and flew back to Angel.

Fort Worth, Texas, here we come.

**AN: Long chappie!**

**YAY!**

**Well, Microsoft Word says four pages, so I guess that's long… right?**

**Oh, who cares?**

**Stick around.**

**Maybe tomorrow.**


	13. Finishing the Conversation

AN: Thirteenth chappie 

**Holla at… an enchilada (since that's what I had for dinner tonight).**

I slid the card, entering the cheap hotel room I had rented at a nearby Holiday Inn.

"Well, home sweet home, guys," Iggy announced to the rest, whose eyes grew wide as they saw the two beds.

"YAY! BEDS!" Angel and Nudge cried as they dove into them, burying their faces into the soft fabric.

I glanced back at Iggy (who yet again knew that I was looking at him) and he just shrugged, grinning as he heard Nudge sigh with content.

I smiled too, happy that they were enjoying this.

"What are we gonna do now, Max?" Gazzy tugged at my shirt and I thought for a second.

"Food. Who else is up for it?"

Cheers surrounded me and I grinned even wider.

"Food it is then," I agreed and we all rushed out of the hotel room, sliding the key into my pocket.

"Hey, Max," Nudge whispered as she skipped back to me and Iggy.

"Yeah, Nudge?" I answered, placing an arm around her shoulder.

And felt her lean into me a bit.

"Thanks. For getting us out of that place. It may not last long, but no one's ever treated me as well as you have. Thanks," Nudge smiled shyly up to me and I felt my throat tighten and my heart beat more rapidly.

"Well, thank you too, Nudge, cause no one's ever said that to me," I explained and she nodded, running off ahead to catch up with Angel.

"So, Max, what are you planning? Where are we going to go from here?" Iggy asked me, causing me to jump from the sudden noise.

I forgot he was beside me.

"Right now, I'm out of ideas. But if you have a-"

"Atlanta," Iggy offered quickly and I raised an eyebrow.

"Why Atlanta?"

He shrugged,

"I dunno. It just sounds good. It's warm, it's over populated, and it's got some of the best Internet signals."

"Which we would use for…?"

"Finding."

"Finding what?"

Iggy turned, staring at me as we reached the double doors that led to the outside.

"Fang."

"But how d-"

"How do I know about him? Well, apart from you telling what I didn't know, I've known him for all my life," Iggy informed me and I could feel my eyes grow wider.

"Is that shocking? Well, I hope you take this one well: Fang's my brother."

Holy (insert swear word of your choice to explain how strange / weird / lucky / crazy this is).

"Um… wow," I breathed out,

"How?"

"Well, see, there's this thing called 'sex'. And-" Iggy smirked and I slapped his arm.

"I know _that_. But… you guys look _nothing_ alike. At all, seriously."

"Yeah. That's why most people don't believe it. Which in some cases, helps."

"So, why should I hurry up and find Fang? It's not like he's come to find _me_," I pointed out but Iggy just shook his head.

I'm sure this kid has an answer for everything.

"But he has, Max. Plenty of times. You just haven't realized it yet," He explained.

"Huh?" I stopped the both of us, Iggy yelling to the kids to wait up for a second.

"Do you remember the boy from the mansion? The voice coming from that helicopter before you met the X-Men?"

"Yeah?"

"That was Fang."

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to remember what the boy had looked like.

Nothing like Fang, that was for sure.

"Then how come he didn't come right out and tell-"

"He couldn't. It's that simple. The School has been watching his every move. I'm surprised he was able to do those things."

Iggy had an answer for everything.

"All right. But those were two different voices- between the boy and the helicopter."

"Well… yeah. Max, that really wasn't Fang. It was his voice, his mind, and his thoughts, but the body wasn't his. He was manipulating someone else's. So, technically, none of those people were Fang. But they were," Iggy paused,

"Depends on how you look at it."

I took in a deep breath, letting myself not exhale it for a good ten seconds, before letting it all out.

"So, you're telling me that Fang can manipulate people."

"Yes."

"And that he's still alive, right?"

"Yep."

"And you're his brother?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," I nodded, making a mental note to go over this very carefully inside my brain.

Later.

Right now, my stomach was objecting to thinking and agreeing to eating.

And so were the little kids.

"McDonalds sound good, guys?" I asked as we edged nearer to them as they were playing with a rock.

"Yeah!" The three cheered, racing off down to the sidewalk.

I pointed at Iggy,

"We'll finish this conversation later."

**AN: Finished chappie.**

**Hmm… looks like there's nothing to say (shocking, right?).**

**So just review and I'll post a new chappie.**

**BIPOLAR ZEBRAS TO YOU ALL!!!!**


	14. The Letter Outside my Door

**AN: So… fourteenth chappie.**

**Holla at this really nasty Oreo Granola Bar that tastes like dish detergent.**

**Blech.**

**(Takes another bite)**

**Yeah… ew…**

Once we were back from eating, Iggy and I stretched out on the balcony, watching the night sky.

"So, why are you telling me all this stuff? Is there a certain purpose for it or something?"

Iggy shook his head,

"No. These are things you need to know, Max. Everything I'm telling you is purposeful. Nothing is wasted."

I nodded,

"Okay. So… please re-explain this all to me. Then would you mind to tell me _what the heck I'm supposed to do with all this information_?" I emphasized the words and Iggy smirked.

"What?" I asked, noticing his facial expression.

"Fang warned me about your temper," Iggy laughed, and then his face grew serious,

"I'm not exactly sure how to tell you this, but… Essex made a huge mistake."

"Well no shit, Iggy! Are you gonna tell me I have wings next?"

"No, not that. When they convinced themselves they didn't need you. But they do."

"Why?"

"It's Fang. He won't do anything."

"Anything? What does that mean?"

"He won't obey them. They've tortured him, talked to him, and even threatened to kill me."

"Ok?"

"He won't do anything because he thinks your dead."

"WHAT?" I practically fell out of my plastic lawn chair.

The hotel was so nice enough to add a couple for us.

Hint the sarcasm people.

"Remember when he contacted you during the plane incident? Then. After you lost contact with him and told him that you were falling. Then he lost your connection and thought you were de-"

"But he hasn't even tried to contact me!" I reasoned,

"So how would he be for sure?"

"That's the thing. He can only talk to you when you are in immediate danger."

"Oh," I could tell Iggy was making a mental note to make sure I didn't fakely commit suicide, that way I could reason this problem over with Fang.

"Haven't you told him you found me yet?"

Iggy nodded,

"Yeah. Plenty of times. I even named off a bunch of stuff about you. But he thinks I'm kidding."

"Sounds like Fang, all right," I breathed out, massaging my temples.

This was getting kinda crazy.

"But right now we shouldn't worry about that. We need to worry about the bigger picture."

"And that would be?" I sighed, not wanting anything else to rest on my poor teenage shoulders.

I had enough going on as it was.

"Essex wants you back."

And I shouldn't worry about _that_ now should I?

"Oh, God," I groaned, leaning back on my chair as Gazzy ran onto the balcony.

"Max! Max! Look at what Nudge found!" He waved a vanilla envelope in front of my face and I took it from him.

"What is it?" I asked as I slid my fingernail underneath the sticky glue that held the flap.

"I dunno. We found it outside the hotel room when Nudge went to go get some ice."

"Make sure to lock the door back, Gaz," Iggy muttered and Gazzy nodded, rushing back in.

I slipped out the simple sheet of paper that had a clean, block-style handwriting printed all over it.

"What does it say?"

My eyes quickly scanned the beginning paragraph,

"It says that 'this fund should help you begin a life anew'."

"That it?" Iggy questioned as he filed out the money onto his lap.

"Uhh… not exactly."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, Iggy, there's over one hundred thousand dollars in this bag," I pulled out a tiny brown bag that had been shoved into the envelope.

"Holy. Shit."

"Yeah. And I was reading the rest of the letter and it says something pretty amazing."

"Like what?"

"Essex no longer exists."

"Wait- what?!" Iggy jumped out of his chair he was so surprised.

I had wanted to do that, but I was afraid of spilling all the money.

"Well… there goes that right out of the window, about them wanting me. They don't exist."

"But how sure are we of this person? Whoever sent us all this money? How do you know this is all true?"

Iggy always had to be logical, didn't he?

"You're right. Maybe this isn't true. But I'm wishing with all my heart that it is. And with this money we could buy an apartment or something. And we could start on that 'Saving Fang' plan."

" 'Saving Fang'? When did that plan start?" Iggy smirked as he flattened out the money in his lap.

"The minute we received the cash," I stuck my tongue out at him, then remembering he was blind I added,

"I'm sticking my tongue out at you."

Iggy simply raised his left hand up, flipping me the bird, and whispered,

"And I'm sending you the bird."

I copied his motion,

"That makes two of us!"

Iggy just laughed.

We sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of cash.

All of you all with the tons of money out there, be happy. Not a lot of people have the chance at all that fortune.

Ours is just by pure luck.

I was thinking about who had sent the letter, re-reading their name as Iggy interrupted the quiet,

"You know what I just thought of?"

"Hmm?"

"When you talked about the money, about the plan, and the future, you said 'we' and 'us'."

"Point being?" I was not getting this.

"Well, I guess I was surprised you actually wanted to include us. You are, after all, the great Maximum Ride," Iggy shrugged, quite embarrassed that he had mentioned it in the first place.

I quirked an eyebrow at the name, but chattered on,

"Couldn't dream of having you not being my brother, Igster."

"Igster?" He snorted.

"Yeah. You like it?"

"No."

"Good then. It's settled."

"And I don't have any say in this?"

"Nope."

**AN: A very good chapter about showing how Max and Iggy bond.**

**Very brother and sister like, huh?**

**I wanted to bring Iggy in here a little more, since he's hardly acknowledged in any other story I've read.**

**But don't worry… our main focus is still on Fang! **

**And now we have a 'Saving Fang' plan!!!**

**YAY!**


	15. Can We Order Pizza? PART TWO

**AN: Fifteenth chappie.**

**Holla at… Tyler (one of my friends) cause he's mad at me.**

**And I sad about it.**

**Boo me. But oh well, he'll get his booty over it.**

**Just to let you all know, this chapter is where the first chapter left off.**

**So I'm gonna rephrase that one, and then continue.**

**You could consider this as "Part Two".**

**And they have not done the "Saving Fang" plan yet.**

I ran a brush through my hair again, making sure it was perfect.

I heard Gazzy and Nudge down the hall playing some Grand Theft Auto game.

"Get out of the way, loser!" Gazzy shouted and I leaned out of my door,

"Gazzy."

"Sorry, Max," He replied quickly before I heard the sound of a gun shooting.

I shrugged.

Might as well learn their combat skills now.

"Max?" Angel was at my bedroom door, leaning against the doorframe.

Her blonde curls were wet from her bath this morning and I was going to tell her to put a towel on so she wouldn't catch a cold when she interrupted me,

"Some man's here. He says he wants to see you."

Oh, God.

It was him.

My heart thumped a little faster as I turned from the mirror and gave her a small smile,

"Thanks. Tell him to wait. I'll be down there in a sec."

"Okay," Angel shrugged, heading off back downstairs.

Just to catch you up to speed here people- unless you've already guessed- Iggy and I finally bought an apartment and we just moved in.

And I had agreed to go on a date with some guy.

And no, I didn't meet him on the Internet or anything, my best friend Kara "hooked me up" with her boyfriend's best friend.

(Oh, yeah, I met Kara at work. I'm a hostess at Chili's).

**AN: Hey! My sister used to work there! (Partly the reason I put Max there). (And partly cause I love their food.)**

So, here I was, almost seventeen, mini-skirt and flip-flop clad, staring back at myself in the mirror.

Some makeup and hairbrushes sure caused my appearance to change from "rugged" to "riches"- I guess you would say.

But you're not interested in that part, are you?

You're waiting for me to tell you something about Fang, right?

Well… that's the thing.

Once Iggy and I bought the apartment, we agreed it would be good to wait until we could find Fang.

Don't get me wrong, we tried to look- well, _hack_- into some websites, but they all pointed us in the wrong direction.

So, here I am, trying to forget all about him for right now, enjoy my date, and act like a normal teenage girl.

And I'm busting my ass at it.

And it's really hard to forget about Fang when I have those words taped to the side of my dresser.

Right next to my photo of Angel and Nudge at the pool.

I ran my finger across the words.

I couldn't feel them, but I imagined them popping out of the paper.

And I could hear his voice repeating them over and over.

The voice from the phone call I received early this morning.

"Fang still thinks you're dead. You need to get to him as soon as possible."

I heard the caller fumble with something in the background as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, trying to comprehend what the mystery man had just said.

"Who is this?" I demanded, my voice sounding weak from my lack of sleep.

"That's not important, Max. All you need to know is that he's not doing so well. You have to get to him. Immediately."

"And why am I supposed to trust you? How do you know my name? And how am I supposed to find Fang?"

I was so pissed.

First, Gazzy had broken the TV set in the living room tossing bombs at Iggy, Angel had broken Nudge's pinky finger by slamming a door with her telekinesis (yep, another new power for her), and now I was being barked at by a stranger.

A stranger that was about to get his ass kicked.

"I can help you with that, Max. You just have to trust me, okay?"

"Um… okay?" I shrugged to myself.

Might as well just agree with this psycho.

There was an explosion in the background, followed by some shouts.

I tried to pick up on what they were saying, but all I heard was,

"STOP HIM!"

Didn't tell me much.

"See, Max? This is all your fault," The caller hissed and I quirked an eyebrow,

"My fault? How?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that Fang is not okay and you're the only one who can save him!"

I groaned, flipping down my phone, as I massaged my temples, trying to make sense of all this.

That's when my phone rang again, this time with a new text message.

It read,

"I will find you, Max. And when I do, you are going to help me."

I rolled my eyes, texting back,

"Ok. Whatever, freak."

After that, nothing.

I guess he was pissed too.

But that didn't matter now.

Right now, my date was downstairs, Angel talking to him this very second, as I closed my door.

I traveled down the stairs, whispering a quick goodbye to Gazzy and Nudge.

Iggy was at work- he was a computer technician.

"Hello, Max," His voice seemed like soft velvet, rushing over me like a crimson wave.

My breath caught in my throat, my senses flared, and Angel cried out my name.

All this was happening as the man moved forward, towards me, as I fell towards the ground.

I knew him.

Where was he from?

Maybe from my dreams, my nightmares, my mid-day escapades into the center of my mind.

But somewhere, somehow, I knew this man.

"I told you, Max. I promised you."

"Told me what?" I cringed as I spoke.

Something wasn't right about this man.

Who was he?

"That you need to help me save Fang. It's the only way."

"Only way to what?" I cried, my brain sending explosions and rigors all over my body.

"To save the world," He said simply, his dark brown eyes shining as he glanced down at my form.

His eyes were so close to the color of Fang's they were scary.

"Max? What's going on?" Nudge yelled from the upstairs.

I sent to her to stay upstairs, but she flung herself down the steps to aid Angel.

The two girls propped me up onto the couch in the living room.

Nudge turned, placing a protective hand on my shoulder as she screamed at the man,

"What are you doing to Max? Why are you here? GET OUT OF OUR HOUSE!"

Angel looked shocked, I looked pained, and Gazzy looked pissed as I read something along the lines of "she cheated" in his mind as he also ran down the stairs.

And this… man… looked calm still.

Suddenly, the pain let up.

I sat up, blinking a couple times to make sure I wasn't dead, and said,

"Who are you? I want to know now. Otherwise I will not do anything for you."

"Max, I'm Professor Xavier. From the X-Mansion."

My eyes widened and I whispered,

"Okay. That clears things up a little bit. Now, why should you care about Fang? You've never met him before in your life!"

"Do you still have the picture, Max?" Xavier cut to the chase.

"What picture?"

"The one you grabbed from the Essex Psychiatric Physicality."

How did he know about that?

"You thought Jean was the only telepath, Max?" Xavier smiled politely this time.

I rushed upstairs, the little kids not understanding what was going on one bit, as I threw open the bottom dresser drawer.

My eyes flicked up to the words still taped to the wooden frame.

I flinched, staring back down at the jewelry box full of papers and letters.

My hand slid around the photo, seizing it from the bottom of the pile, as I traveled back downstairs.

"Here," I handed the photo to Xavier, who shook his head, taking out an old leather wallet to show me his copy.

"Now, what do you think this picture is of, Max?"

My eyes adjusted to the darkness of it, noticing the background.

"That's at the mansion."

"Yes," Xavier nodded,

"You can see… Jean… in the background, tossing a ball. She was tossing it to Scott, but you can't tell. He's not shown."

I could tell there was something about Jean's name that wasn't right- the way the Professor spoke it- but I wasn't going to get into that right now.

"Who's the boy with you, though?" I asked.

"That's Fang, Max," Xavier simply stated.

"But he said-"

"You remember how you were in the dark about your past? Well, so is Fang."

"So, you're telling me that you're his-"

"Father. Yes, Max, I am Fang's father. His full name is Fang Derren Xavier."

Okay… freeze frame!

Girls, (and guys if you want to be in the scenario too), have you ever caught yourself about to go on a date when some strange old man pops up and tells you that your boyfriend is his son and that he needs your help because your boyfriend has gone crazy without you.

(Well, the "going crazy without you" part is okay, if the "crazy" part was that he was trying to commit suicide by blowing up Essex [a very bad place that needs to be blown up anyway.)

So what in the crap is a girl (or guy) supposed to say?!

I waited for someone to fill in this question, for someone to just let loose and give me a straight answer that I should tell Professor Xavi-

"Max, can I order pizza?" Gazzy asked me through the silence.

Okay… not the answer (or question) I had been hoping for.

"Yeah. Sure. Oh, and call Iggy and tell him to get home now. ASAP."

"Why?" Angel looked up at me with her giant blue eyes, knowing what the answer would be before I even thought it up.

"I have to go with the Professor. I have to save Fang," I simply answered her.

Surprisingly, Nudge and Angel nodded, giving me two giant hugs each, and went to tell Gazzy what they wanted to order.

The Professor nodded to me, then headed for the front door.

I scribbled a quick note to Iggy, telling him that if I wasn't back by next week, to call my cell phone.

No need in notifying the police (ya know, since I was already wanted for running off with fang and totaling someone's car).

I stuck the note to the fridge, kissing the kids bye, and stepped outside.

A Mercedes Benz was parked in the driveway, the Professor still inside it.

As I started to climb in, my date was headed down the street, toward the house.

"Guess we'll have to re-schedule!" I called to him, as he gave me a weird stare.

I climbed into the car, enjoying the feeling of leather seats, as I snapped my seatbelt into place.

"So, where are we headed?" I asked the older man, who sent me a smile, adjusting his rearview mirror, and replied,

"Crescent City, California."

**AN: All right, all right. All you peoples who are worried about this story being centered on X-Men: DO NOT FRET!!!!  
Please!!! This story is not going towards X-Men anymore, in fact, none of them will reappear until it is time to save Fang, and then they are just extra team members.**

**And I just randomly picked Crescent City, California cause it looked like it wouldn't be very packed.**

**It's not near Los Angeles at all, so I hope it's got really big cliff-diving places.**

**(Hint hint for something later in the story).**

**Basically, I've already mapped out the whole story.**

**I was thinking about it in church this morning while the pastor was talking.**

**(Hey, it's better than falling asleep, right? Which is what my grandpa does but he gets to cause he's old).**

**ANYWHO, stick around for the next chappie.**


	16. Revelations and Double Cheeseburgers

**AN: Sixteenth chappie.**

**Holla at a scene kid.**

**I will answer your questions in this chappie peoples, so do not fret.**

**(Oh, yeah, cause I didn't want Professor wheeling around and all that unwanted crap, I just made him walk. So he can walk. Love it, like it, hate it, I don't care. That's the way it's a gonna be.)**

I rested my head against the headrest for the thirtieth time that day.

Since Iggy and I had bought an apartment in Littleton, Colorado, it wasn't going to take us that long to get to California.

But I still had some questions I needed answered:

"So, Xavier," His eyes flickered over to mine to show me that he was listening,

"I thought that the Sam Larson was Fang's father."

Professor Xavier shook his head, eyes still on the road,

"The only reason Samuel Larson thought he was Fang's father was because Samuel raped Fang's mother- my late wife- before Fang was born."

I could hear some tension- and of course there would be when you found out somebody raped your wife-.

I nodded, letting my mind wander for a moment before shooting another one at the man:

"What happened to Fang's mom?"

"She died during childbirth."

"Oh. So, why did you choose 'Fang'? It's not a very common name," I explained and Xavier smiled.

"Well, neither is 'Maximum'."

"Touché," I grinned, but the Professor went ahead and answered,

"Hmm… that's a very good question. I think it was when I was holding him, he bit me then cried. And I could have swore it sounded like 'Momma!'," He chuckled,

"But, of course, it probably wasn't. So, I decided to name him Fang. Mary, Fang's mother, didn't tell me what she wanted to name him."

"Oh. So, let me get this straight: Fang is Iggy's brother, so is Iggy your kid too?"

"Yes. Born by a different woman, though, of course, otherwise their ages wouldn't be so close."

"How did they end up at the School, then?"

The Professor sighed,

"We were invaded. Almost like the one you encountered, Max."

"Yeah, about that. All the doctors told me that it hadn't really happened. They told me I must have been dreaming the whole time."

He shook his head,

"No, Max, you were not dreaming. Stryker found you on the road, took you hostage, then we reclaimed you."

"Then how did I get to that freak ward?" I narrowed my eyes, wondering if this man was truly who he was.

I never knew with people now a days.

They could be all cheery and shit, then the next thing you knew, they were chaining you to a wall.

"Jean told me of your future. She read your mind. She knew what was to become of you. And so when we found you, unconscious, on the forest ground from where you dropped, we took you to the hospital where Iggy and the others were."

"Wow," I breathed out, trying to let all this new knowledge sink in.

"Anyway, about why Iggy and Fang were sent to the School:

The mansion was invaded when they were at the age of two. Iggy was one and nine months. I remember locking them up in a separate room, to make sure that they weren't stolen. Jean was guarding it, making sure nobody entered," Professor continued in a sad voice,

"But soon the soldiers found her standing in front of the door. They tried to shoot her, but she just blocked them. Finally, they unleashed a powerful mind-bending mechanism. It was called 'Pixal'. The creature dives into your mind, taking over every single part of it."

My eyes grew a tad wide, and I was sure this wasn't going to end pretty,

"What happened to her?"

"Since she was a teenager, she could take it fairly well. I had taught her many great mind skills to block such things. But this one left a mark on her. Most of all, the creature allowed Jean to let the soldiers through and take my tow children."

"And so they were taken to the School," I finished, and Charles Xavier nodded.

"Yes. But the worst part was that the creature never left Jean. She was stuck with it for life."

If I hadn't been listening so intently, I wouldn't have caught the "was". And I'm sure I wasn't supposed to. But I did, and the questions rambled on from that single word.

"Was? What are you talking about? Did she die in the plane crash?" I jumped up from my seat, eager to get an answer.

I had to know, for some reason. I just _had_ to know.

Jean was my favorite teacher, and- even though I'll never admit it- I wondered if she was like my mom.

The mom I never got to meet.

And it looked like I wouldn't get to meet Jean again, either.

Tears started to form in the Professor's eyes as he whispered,

"They were sent to Canada. Logan found a dam there that would help them for their search for Stryker. But during their exploration, one of the walls cracked."

I didn't like the way this was going.

"The team got out of the building, but Magneto- I'm sure you learned all about him from Logan or the children- got away with the only helicopter left. The X-Jet was parked several miles away, and Kurt could not tell where to send everyone to."

"What did they do? They didn't all drown, did they?" My voice was dripping with worry for these people I had only knew a bit of my short life.

"No. Rogue and Bobby had stayed in the jet. Rogue got word of what was happening and drove the jet over."

"Okaaay. That doesn't sound too bad."

He shook his head,

"When Rogue landed the jet, it ruined one of the engines. It gave out. We all boarded the jet and tried to fix it before the dam exploded."

He sighed again, so I knew this wasn't going to have a happy ending.

"Once the dam started to break, chunks falling off and water pouring out of it, Jean- who was standing in the back while everyone else was at the front- walked back down the ramp. I felt her presence go away and turned, seeing no one, and spoke her name.

At that moment it seemed like everyone, even though it was unbearably loud from all the yelling, had heard me. Logan and Scott turned, searching for her. They asked me where she had gone," His head sank low, his eyes still on the open road as we passed a McDonalds.

"She went outside. To save us. I didn't know how she was going to do it, but she was. There was no stopping her. Something inside her must have broken as she walked out into the cold."

She was alone, I realized.

All alone. She walked out into the cold, frozen ground, and no one was there to rub her shoulders, to whisper in her ear to come back.

"Scott was running towards the back of the jet, to go outside and drag her back in. I'm sure he would have knocked her unconscious if he could have. But she shut the ramp and locked it. Soon, the controls switched on and the plane began to move upwards."

"Kurt couldn't get to her because she wouldn't let him. That's when everyone knew that Jean was doing this for good," His voice cracked,

"She was going to sacrifice herself for the rest of the X-Men."

"I maintained contact with her to the very end. Scott registered this and spoke through me to Jean, begging and pleading for her to get back on the plane," The Professor shook his head,

" 'I know what I'm doing', she whispered. 'This is the only way'. By now the jet had reached above the water level. It was surrounding Jean, and we knew this was the end. _She _knew it was the end. She told us goodbye, waited until the jet was fully secure to fly, and let it and the water go."

I was silent for a moment, my eyes collecting tears.

The only background noise was the car flying down the interstate, and some old rock 'n roll the Professor had chosen.

"Well, I'm sure you're awfully hungry, so where would you like to eat, Max?" Charles Xavier turned to me and for a moment I saw true terror written across his face.

"What's wrong? I mean, besides… Jean…?" I narrowed my eyes, wondering what was troubling my boyfriend's father.

"I don't want to see it happen again, Max. I just can't take it. Jean was like a daughter to me, she had trusted me with her soul for a very long time, and then I felt it rip out of her. I felt her die, Max."

He breathed out, tears sliding down his face,

"I just don't want it to happen once more. I don't think I _could_ take it."

"What do you mean?"

"Fang, Max. Fang is nearing his end. He thinks your dead, and even though I've told him a million times that you're not, he still wants to go on believing that you are. He's struggling, and if we don't get him out of there soon, I know he's just going to do it."

"Do what?!" I was terrified now.

I didn't want Fang doing anything that was hurtful to him.

I needed for him to stay alive, to be well, to not fall into the School's traps and let them torture him forever.

"Commit suicide. Just like Jean," Xavier finally busted out with it and I sank back into my chair.

Fang.

Dying.

Killing himself.

Oh, God. I wrapped my hands in front of my head, pressing my forehead to my palms, as I shook my head back and forth.

"I can't let it happen. I won't let it happen!" I quickly promised myself.

I recovered, sliding my hands across my face to help wake myself up,

"McDonalds sound ok?"

"Perfect," The Professor smiled back at me.

I was sure he knew now.

He knew that I would never let Fang do that to himself.

Ever.

"You know, you remind me of Jean a lot," Charles said after some time as we searched for the next McDonalds.

I'm sure it wasn't going to be hard to find one, since they're, like, everywhere, right?

"How so?"

"Your will. Your strength. You know when to be strong and you know when to break. You can love, but you can hate. And you have a true love."

Scott.

Oh, God, how was he taking it?

Jean had been his everything, and suddenly, his world was taken from him.

His last images and thoughts of her would be that she walked out of the jet, trapped him inside, and sent him away as she killed herself.

"Basically, yes," The Professor invaded my thoughts and I looked up.

So that was what it would feel like to lose Fang.

To lose my right-hand man, my right wing, my left foot, or the other piece of my heart.

"Double cheeseburger sound good?"

I nodded, still deep in thought.

This was what my day was full of as I chewed on some fries:

Revelations and Double Cheeseburgers.

**AN: WOW! THIS BE A LONG CHAPPIE! YAY! It's 8 pages, by the way, on my Microsoft Word.**

Word?

Ha, ha. It's just me, trying to be gangster like I am and you know it cause I am.

Yeah, I just totally confused myself.

Anyway, I hope I answered any questions you had.

If not, put them in a review and I'll answer them in the next chappie.

Please, please send me more reviews!!! I NEED MORE!!!!

I NEED REVIEWS LIKE THE BOYS IN MY MATH CLASS NEED DONKEY SHOWS!!!! (Hey, they were talking about it, not me, but what do you expect from fifteen year-old horny teenagers?).

Anyway, my friend Lisa is moving (wah) and we are all going to Dollyhood (or Dollywood, as you not-gangsta people would like to call it) on Fall Break (which is next week).

I'm sure you don't care, but oh well!


	17. Who Knew?

**AN: Seventeenth chappie!**

**Holla at some fried taters (cause that's what we had for supper tonight and they were AWESOME! Good ol' southern cookin')**

**ANYWAY… Ghost Hunters comes on tonight!**

**YAY!!!**

**So, to Grant, Steve, Tango, Donna, and Jason:**

**(Blows kiss) MMMMWAAHHH!!!  
**

The Professor drove on after we had a bite to eat.

"So, where exactly is this new School?"

"You mean the new Essex Passage Industries?" Xavier raised an eyebrow and I shrugged.

"What happened to the old one?"

"The X-Men blew it up. But then they just built a new one," He sighed, knowing this was a fight that would be hard to win.

"Okay. So where is the new one?"

"It's on the outskirts of Crescent City."

I nodded, rubbing my lips together.

"We'll make it there in time, Max. Don't worry," Charles patted my hand as it was twitching on top of the armrest.

"I know. But I can't help but feel something's wrong. Something's just not right," I explained.

"So, I heard you were wanting to know more about your mother?" The Professor gazed in my direction with a knowing glance.

I nodded,

"Yeah. I guess. Right now I don't care much. I did before, though, and that's part of why Fang and I were caught. So, this is all my fault."

I looked down gloomily at my feet, twiddling my thumbs as I tried to think happy thoughts.

Fang's face popped into my mind- and it didn't help too much.

"No, Max, that was not your fault. Even if you hadn't rushed to Essex for your mother's things, you two would still have been caught. And by that time- since it would have been later- Ann would have been angrier. She probably would have ceased you both to a death sentence."

"Well, that makes me feel so much better," I lied in a fake-chipper voice.

The radio was still turned down low, but I could hear the music in the background

_I'll keep you locked in my head_

I placed my head back on the headrest, waiting for the Professor's story.

"Your mother was very bright, much like you are, Max," He grinned.

Until we meet again 

"She was so incredibly happy when she found out she was pregnant. I remember her telephone call to the mansion," At the sudden lift of my eyebrows, he explained,

"Her father and I were very good friends. Your mother and Jean used to hang out quite a few times."

Until we 

"She told me that this was the happiest she'd ever been. And that she had already picked out your name," Charles gave me a longing look, as if he saw my mother seated right next to him,

"Maximum Karianna Nicole Ride. She knew it was long and odd, but she just liked it that way. And your father was happy if your mother was happy," He chuckled.

Until we meet again 

My eyes were darting everywhere but his face to not see the reflection of sadness in his eyes.

I knew he could sense it anyway, but I still thought I could be the tough Max, the one who let no one see her emotions.

And I won't forget you my friend 

It didn't work.

"Then you were born. You grew, blue eyes and blonde curls, like the 'most beautiful southern girl', your mother had told me once. 'She's going to be the perfect blue-eyed blonde, you just watch'."

What happened 

"I don't really recall all that clearly the day I got the call," His voice turned rigid now, as if his vocal chords were made of ice.

"Jean handed me the phone, tears in her eyes, as she ran to Scott for comfort. I answered the man on the other line. It was the police department," He shuddered, taking in a breath.

If someone said three years from now 

"His police team had found your mother and father murdered. Your mother in the basement and your father in the living room. The funny thing was that all of their stuff was gone. All the personal belongings anyway."

You'd be long gone 

I bit my lip, knowing that if I didn't, the tears would start falling soon.

"They found no trace of you. All of your things were still there: your toys, your clothes, your pictures. But the only thing missing was you. I was shocked that they hadn't taken Chase and Ara," The Professor was almost finished, but my mind was swirling with anger, worry, and mostly grief.

I'd stand up and punch them out 

Anger for those fuckers that stole my parents' lives, worry for Fang- that they wouldn't cease to do it to him, and grief for knowing my parents' last moments.

_Cause they're all wrong and_

My mother sacrificing her own life to save mine, even though she didn't know if I would die or not.

That last kiss 

"So, Jean and I continued our search for you. But every lead we got, every turn of the case, was a complete dead end," He paused then added,

"But we found you. The minute you were taken my Stryker, Jean got an alert from somewhere deep inside her mind. All her senses flared off. I remember her banging on my door in the middle of the night, screaming that she had found you."

I'll cherish 

I could tell that the Professor was having a hard time speaking of Jean, that every time her name was spoken he cringed.

So I relieved him of explaining anymore,

"Thank you. For telling me about them. I never knew the full story. I'm not sure I ever will, but at least I'm putting the pieces together," I sent the Professor a warm smile and he nodded, hands tightening on the wheel.

Until we meet again And time makes It harder 

"We should be there in about thirty minutes, actually," Charles adjusted the rear-view mirror once more.

I guess he was ADD about that or something.

I wish I could remember But I keep Your memory You visit me in my sleep My darling 

I straightened myself in the passenger seat; ready to face whatever was at this new Hellhole.

"So, who's coming with us?"

Professor Xavier turned to me with a confused look on his face,

"Coming with us? Whatever are you talking about?"

"Well, we're going to have backup aren't we?" I asked in an unbelieving tone.

He didn't expect us to just waltz in there and go 'Hey, we want Fang back', did he?

"Well, not exactly that simply Max, but yes. We're going to ask for Fang back."

"And how to you propose they'll just give him back to us?"

The old man had lost it.

I swear.

Taking a trip down Memory Lane had finally caused him to lose his.

"By giving them you, Max," He said, tone calm as a feather-soft pillow. (You like the simile?)

My jaw dropped and I just stared at him in disbelief.

Who knew 

**AN: HOLY CRAP! PROFESSOR X HAS LOST IT!!! AHHH!!!!!  
(_And_ he can control our minds)**

**Oh, shiz. We screwed!**

**Well, more me cause I doubt he'll come after you guys.**

**Anyway, I'm going to go put some laundry in the drier, and then watch Ghost Hunters. Then school in the morning.**

**Oh, boyz.**

**So, I'll see you guys tomorrow!**


	18. Farther Away

**AN: So, what cha'll up to? **

**Sorry I haven't been on in a while, I've been really busy.**

**Well, not really, but since my friend's over here and always wants to get on MySpace (KAYLA!!!), I haven't had much time.**

**So, to be loyal, I have posted up another chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy!!!**

Was this guy nuts or something?

Right, cause I was just gonna waltz in there and go,

"Hey, you replace me with Fang!"

Um… let me think… NO!

"WHAT?!" I screamed, my voice filling up the car.

"Max, you don't see-"

"OH YES I DO! You think I'm just going to let you murder me?! Do you think Fang is okay with this plan? Have you even asked him? No, you haven't! So, stop and think about this over, old man, before you go AWOL on me!"

I was pissed.

Wait- even worse than pissed.

I was… livid.

"Max, you don't understand! It's not going to be like that!"

"Then what _is_ it going to be like, huh?" I snapped at the Professor, who was still shaking his head.

"No, Max, the plan is…"

AN: Ha, ha. Think I'd let you in on it now? NOPE! So, just calm your little happy butts down and wait!

Later 

(Max POV still and italics are "Farther Away" by Evanescence)

I took their smiles and I made them mine Who knew what was wrong with me? 

I certainly didn't. That was for sure.

I sold my soul just to hide the light

Especially when I walked right into Essex Passage Industries new industrial plant.

And now I see what I really am

Oh, yes, I was very sane.

But I had to. For Fang.

And that was my main priority right now.

A thief, a whore, and a liar

The woman behind the desk jumped from the sight of my presence.

They probably had some wanted poster in the break room with my face on it, plastered with "DANGEROUS!" and "WANTED!"

"You- you're Ma- Maximum Ride?!"

I felt myself roll my eyes.

Wow, took a lot to excite these people.

I run to you

"Yeah. And I'm here to-"

"Max!" Logan's voice hissed into my ear,

"You've got to hurry. We can't hold back these troops much longer! You've got to get Fang!"

Right. Get Fang.

Call out your name

But with a bunch of burly-looking guys entering from every entrance and exit, it didn't look like that would be happening anytime soon.

I see you there farther away Oh, wait, what was I doing? 

I lifted my hands up to my head, just like Angel had instructed me to do, and thought really hard.

I know it sounds really corny, but that's what happened.

Like something out of a comic book.

I'm numb to you - numb and deaf and blind

I imagined the guards and Erasers dropping to the ground, dead.

You give me all but the reason why

And that lady behind the counter to SHUT UP!!!

Within a few seconds, there were no problems.

"MAX! GET A MOVE ON IT!" Logan shouted into my ear again.

I reach but I feel only air at night

Okay, except for the problem that my hearing was going to be gone in my left ear soon.

"I'M ON IT, LOGAN!" I growled back.

Not you, not love, just nothing

Fang's cell was on the third floor, below me.

I run to you

I jumped down a couple of stairs, making sure to read the signs correctly.

Who knew how many rooms there were on each floor?

Call out your name

"FANG!" I cried, my eyes tearing up.

If I didn't get to him quickly enough… oh, God, Max. Don't think about that!

"FANG! ANSWER ME! IT'S MAX!" I banged down one door to find nothing.

Another, nothing.

This sequence went on until the very last door, which I was sure he would be in.

But no, just an empty room.

I see you there farther away "Where is he, Professor? He's not on this level!" 

"They must have moved him then, Max. Let me get his location," The Professor answered back.

Tried to forget you but without I feeling nothing

Sudden footsteps caused me to turn around, searching for the source.

My telepathy was at ready, making sure nothing stood between me an-

"Max?" A voice cracked into the open.

Don't leave me here, by myself

My eyes blinked once.

Twice.

I can't breathe

"Max? What are you doing here?" His voice seemed so lost.

Like he had spent his last few months in a mental ward.

Technically, he had.

I run to you

"Fang?" My jaw dropped as I saw him walk towards me.

Run away from this hell

"Max, what are you doing here?!" His voice sounded a little less amazed to see me than I was to see him.

Call out your name

He actually sounded a little… angry.

But I knew that couldn't be right. Because there should be no reason for him to be mad at m-

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Fang screamed at me, rushing closer as he grabbed my arm.

Giving up, giving in

My skin rippled from his touch, obviously enjoying the tugging he was doing at my arm.

"Wha- what? What are you talking about? I'm here to sav-"

"I know exactly what you're doing! You're getting yourself killed!"

I see you there farther away

"So, you know about the plan?" I asked him and he froze.

"What? I meant to say that you just walked into Essex! Are you nuts? What do you mean 'plan'?" His eyes narrowed and I was sure I wasn't going to be able to keep it a secret for long.

Still you are, farther away

His hand released a tiny bit on my arm.

Shit.

"Max?" His eyes softened, but they were still worried.

And confused.

I run to you

"It's nothing, Fa-"

"Don't tell me it's nothing, Max!" His tone was demanding now.

Run away from this hell

He needed to know; desperately wanted to know what I was talking about.

"Don't tell him, Max. Logan will be there soon. Don't worry."

Call out your name

"How long till?" I spoke into the communicator and Fang gave me a strange look.

Giving up, giving in

"About three minutes. Keep him occupied. Make up something if you have to. Just keep him with you," the Professor instructed and I gave a quick nod, even though he couldn't see.

Habit.

I see you there farther away

"Max? Answer me. Who are you talking to and what 'plan' are you talking about?"

I shook my head,

"I can't tell you, Fang. I'm sor-"

"Bullshit! Max, why are you here?!"

Still you are 

"TO SAVE YOU, FANG! I thought you would have gotten that by now, but I guess not!" I took a quick breath before continuing,

"I love you, okay? I can't just sit back and watch you die! But I'm sorry that I care about you too much! I'm sorry that I don't want to live without you and that I can't!" I cried at Fang, banging my fist against his chest.

Farther away

His hand came around my head, pressing my forehead to his shoulder.

"Oh, God, Max. I've missed you so much. I- I thought you were dead."

His voice was cracking and I'm sure that if I had time to talk, mine would have been too.

Farther away

But in the middle of our personal get-together, Logan had the decency to pop up, yelling,

"Found 'em, Professor. I'll bring him out to you," Logan barked behind me, causing the both of us to jump.

"Who are you?" Fang yelled at Logan, but Logan just rolled his eyes, grabbing a hold of Fang and tugging him away from me.

Farther away

"What are you doing?! LET ME GO! MAX!" Fang's eyes were wide with terror as he tried to fight back as Logan dragged him more.

Farther away

I just stood there, shaking my head,

"Fang, it's okay. Go with Logan. I'll be out in a second!"

Logan's head snapped around, a confused expression written across his face,

"What are you talking about, kid? You're coming with me!"

Farther away

I shook my head again, starting to walk backwards towards the stairwell door.

"I have to go get something. Meet cha outside!" With that I took off, tossing the communicator against the wall, and started down the stairs.

Farther away

**AN: Holy crap. What has gotten into Max? Is she flippin crazy?!?!?!**

**Max: (gives me dirty look) screw you**

**Me: Sorry. Just gotta say it!**

**Stick around!!!!**


	19. The Infection

**AN: Uh-oh.**

**Max is about to do something very bad.**

**THIS IS HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!  
AH!!!!!!!!!**

**Max: I drank milk, what's wrong with that?**

**Me: Milk is sketchy!!!!!!**

**AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-**

**Okay, none of that.**

Would you mind if I hurt you

I raced down the stairs, hearing Logan's cries above me.

I had little time.

None, in fact.

Understand that I need to

I hoped they understood what I had to do.

Wish that I had other choices 

The moment when the Professor told me where everything was, I knew I had to grab it.

Than to hurt the one I love

My parents' stuff.

What have you done now?

"MAX WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Fang's voice called down to me as I jumped another flight.

"Go with Logan, Fang! Get out of here!" I yelled back.

I couldn't catch what he said- on account of the slamming of the door- but I heard "fuck" in it.

I know I'd better stop trying

"See ya later, Fang!" I called again, smirk covering my voice.

You know that there's no denying

I wasn't really worried about this whole thing right now.

All I had to do was get down there, grab some stuff, and get out.

I won't show mercy on you now

Besides, the X-Men were guarding the rest of the building, right?

I know I should stop believing

They were assigned to go through every lab and eliminate the adversary.

I know that there's no retrieving

I just wasn't counting on a crazy psychopathic doctor to pop up out of nowhere while I was searching for the room and stab me with some drug.

Yeah.

Talk about unexpected.

It's over now What have you done? FANG POV What have you done now?

"Where the hell is she going?!" I screamed at the guy who had kindly grabbed me by the arm and tugged me down the staircase.

I've been waiting for someone like you

I think his name was Logan.

But I wasn't sure.

But now you are slipping away

"I have no idea. She was supposed to go with us!"

"Well, looks like that plan fucked up," I muttered under my breath, but somehow he knew cause he sent me a glare before continuing on.

What have you done now?

"Where do you think she could have gone?" I asked the guy and he shrugged.

"Who knows? Is there anything she really wants down there, beside to drive us crazy?"

I've been waiting for someone like you

I raced through my mind, trying to find some option for why Max would just ditch us.

"Not rea- wait," I shut my eyes, breathing out as we flew down another set of stairs,

"When we were at the other Essex- the original- she wanted her parents stuff. Badly. That's sort of the reason we were captured so quickly," I explained and Logan nodded.

But now you are slipping away

"We've gotta get down there fast. The rest of the team didn't empty out past level twelve," Logan (since I guess that's what I'm going to have to call him) told me and we ran hastily down the remaining stairs.

What have you done now?

"Charles, what level are Max's parent's stuff?" Logan barked into thin air.

What was with these people?

And who was Charles?

Why? 

Why does Fate make us suffer?

"Level 20? Ok. Got cha. Can you get a hold of her?"

Silence.

This Logan guy must have lost his mind, or left it behind when we started running.

There's a curse between us

"Damn it, Max!" Logan bashed his fist into his other hand.

I saw a shimmer of what looked like metal come out of his knuckles, but I knew I must be seeing things.

Between me and you

"What's happening?!" I screamed, begging to know what had happened to Max.

I prayed they hadn't gotten to her.

What have you done

With that new poison, there was no telling what they could have put in her bo-

"They injected her with something. She's somewhere down below, in the lowest levels. Around Level 25!"

What have you done 

My hands started shaking, my breath shortening.

Oh, God.

This couldn't be happening.

What have you done 

There was no way Max could have been injected.

"Kid? You all right?" Logan slapped my face and I froze.

What have you done 

"She can't be infected! THAT STUFF WILL KILL HER!" I screamed and Logan's eyes widened a bit more.

"We gotta get going!"

What have you done 

With that, the two of us made it down to Level 24, but not before we were stopped by a couple of scientists.

What have you done now

"Where is she?!" Logan released some claw-looking things from between his knuckles and tackled the head scientist to the wall.

What have you done 

"Whom you be speaking of, Sir?" Dr. Batchelder asked calmly, as if Wolverine-looking ravenous guys always attacked him.

What have you done

"MAX! Now where the hell did you put her!" I yelled, feeling my blood pulse through my veins.

What have you done

"She be downstairs. Last room to the right. But you won't get there in time," Jeb grinned evilly as hundreds of Erasers surrounded us.

Oh, shit.

We were screwed.

What have you done

Logan dropped Jeb as the animals lurked closer, smirking and fangs dripping.

Their eyes were thirsty.

For blood.

What have you done

They surrounded Logan and I in a tight circle, their jaws snapping at our faces, just mere inches away.

"Logan!" A voice yelled from down the hallway and that's when the fighting began.

And Max only had meager minutes left before the poison kicked in.

What have you done now?

**AN: Oh, crap. **

**This be bad!!!**

**Third chappie should be up Thursday!!!**

**TEN REVIEWS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!**


	20. Two and A Half Hours

**AN: Chapter twenty!!! YAY!!!**

**WARNING: (don't worry I'm not gonna have some sex scene) This chapter WILL NOT be in Max POV cause I want the chapter to have a better view. But it will be back in MAX POV later in the same chapter!!! (But I'll notify you when so don't worry)!**

She was all alone. That part she knew.

How long she was going to be alone was the real question. Or how long she had.

She hoped he had gotten out okay.

It was better she be in this hellhole than him.

Her hands slid up to her face as she sank back into the far corner.

She was sure these walls would swallow her whole before the rest of the team got there.

After all, this horrid room was on the very last level of the building.

And guessing how many labs they had to take out, the poison would have enveloped her by that time.

Surround her like an unwanted blanket that she was now trying to push off, praying that Logan would get here soon.

Damn those whitecoats and scientists who had found a new way to torture teenage avian-hybrids.

Max leaned her head back against the wall, knowing what would happen when they finally found her.

She would most likely be slumped on the floor, her eyes shut, breath released from her body.

Logan would pick her up, carrying her back out- wait- no, maybe they would just leave her there.

Probably better than having to bury another body.

Even though Max preferred to be placed in a casket, she would just rot in this room forever.

Maybe she would even haunt these halls, this room, where she would have to spend her very last moments.

The wall felt softer now, so she sank back into it.

Her skin turned warmer now, causing her eyelids to droop. Maybe it would be a peaceful death, one that she wouldn't feel. Like drifting off to a serene, never-ending sleep.

Max sighed then realized she didn't have much of a breath.

It wouldn't be too long now… before the blanket would suffocate her, taking every last breath she did have and-

"Max! Where you at, kid?" Logan's voice yelled.

It seemed so far away, even though he could be right outside the door.

Maybe he was.

And maybe Max would never know.

"Max! Make some noise, please!" That was a different voice.

One she knew all too well but hadn't heard in a while.

"Fang?" She mumbled, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed.

"She's down this way!" Logan yelled and Max heard running footsteps.

She wanted so badly to tell them no, to keep them away so they wouldn't watch her die.

"No…" She muttered again, begging and pleading in her mind for the two to pass her up.

She didn't want Fang to find her, near death and sobbing, her breaths shortening from every intake.

"Max! One more time, baby, please! Just make another noise!" Fang was yelling again, his voice closer than ever before.

She tried- tried so hard- to not make a sound.

But her pain and heartache from not seeing fang for so long got the best of her.

"Fang… help me…" She barely whispered, the tone so low that she had almost missed it.

"MAX!" Logan cried, his claws attacking the metal doorframe.

Max tried to sit up but found herself unable to.

Her body was paralyzed.

"Oh, God, Fang. They gave her the medication!" Logan hissed, his eyes wide with fear.

She felt arms around her, cradling her fragile body.

"Fang?" She croaked, hating that she sounded so pathetic, like he was her last lifeline.

And having to agree to the fact that he was.

"I'm here, Max. Oh, Max, I'm so sorry for all of this. If I- if I hadn't of agreed to them, you wouldn't be in so much pain right now," His voice was like a lullaby, helping Max drift away.

She shook her head, trying to awaken her senses.

She couldn't die now, not with herself being in Fang's arm.

He would never reco- wait.

If she died then Fang would truly know that she was dead this time.

He would have nothing else to live for, in his mind.

He had almost killed himself once, what was going to stop him this time when he watched it happen?

Max continued to fight, making it to a half sit-up before strong arms picked her body up and ran with her.

But how where they going to make it?

It was 24 more levels up to the surface and nor Logan or Fang could run that fast.

"Where is he? We need him now, Storm!" Logan yelled into his communicator.

**Max POV……… NOW!!!!!!!!! (See?)**

Who was he talking about?

"What's happened?" Storm's voice was close to my ear.

"She's been infected," Logan choked and that's when I knew how bad off I was.

Wet drips fell onto my arm.

And it wasn't rain.

Some dropped onto my face and I so badly wished that I could wipe those tears away.

Apparently, Fang knew how bad off I was too.

"Oh, no," Storm swallowed and I could hear the rest of the team in jet gasp,

"Is she gonna be ok?" Kitty's voice blurted into the quiet.

Only pants and breaths were heard.

I still couldn't open my eyes and I was feeling death.

"She better," Fang grunted before leaping up another flight of stairs.

"Where the hell is-"

Suddenly, I heard a giant POOF to my left- yeah, and I know how stupid that sounds- but it was exactly what I heard.

"Sorry," A voice spoke in a deep German accent.

Kurt! I had forgotten all about him.

Fang waited.

"Sorry, but I can only take one at a time," Kurt spoke finally and I felt the low growl in Fang's throat before anybody else heard it.

I nodded my head, showing them that I understood.

"Be careful with her," Fang spoke to Kurt now, slowly handing me over to the blue fuzzy man,

"And if you hurt her in any way, shape, form, or fashion… your ass is mine."

Kurt nodded and I felt his grip tighten on my arms.

"Ready, Max?"

I nodded.

Suddenly, the world dropped out from underneath me and I felt as if I was just floating- yet falling- at the same time.

Fortunately, this feeling only lasted about a second before I heard the movement of the X-Men inside the jet.

"Max! Hurry, Rogue, grab some IV's!" Storm's voice yelled and I heard people rushing about.

"How bad are you, Max?" Storm asked me as I tried to open my eyes.

My vision was blurry, so I figured it should tell her about that.

"Can't see. Body on fire. Too hot. Need sleep…" My voice grumbled.

"No, honey, you can't sleep now. Try and stay awake for me, okay?"

I nodded, but Storm's voice seemed so… distant.

Like talking to someone through a wall, even though she was a mere six inches away from my head.

There was another sound and suddenly Fang's hands were resting on mine, gripping them tightly.

"What's her condition?" Logan barked as his heavy footsteps shook the jet.

"We need to get back to the mansion. Fast."

"I asked you what her condition was, Storm!" Logan tried again.

Storm sighed.

Fang's grip tightened.

"It doesn't look too good, Logan, that's all I'm saying."

"Is she gonna make it?" Fang blurted out and I could hear his throat closing in, trying to shield his tears.

"Do you want the cold truth or a hopeful guess?"

"Truth."

"Max doesn't have the best chances of surviving," The jet had taken off now as Storm wrapped up some of my bruises and cuts,

"She was injected with the full medication, which it supposed to shut down every part of your body slowly. It's a painful process and supposed to cause you to commit suicide to avoid all the pain."

"What are the chances of her…" My boyfriend's voice stopped, the words freezing up in his mouth.

"Living?" Storm finished,

"With most cases like these, normal avian hybrids would have been dead by now. But if Max has seemed to pull through this long… she has about an hour or two until the poison… finishes."

"How long does it take to get back to New York?" Fang was set out on finding everything.

I'm not sure he wanted to know the answer to that question though.

And I knew he didn't right when the words fell out of Storm's mouth,

"Two and a half hours."

AN: Holy crap! This be bad! But don't worry, another chappie should be up… before this weekend is over.

**And sorry about making you guys wait so freakin long, but I went to Dollywood on Wednesday, then my friend's house yesterday so I had no time! But aren't you happy?**

**YAY!**

**How about some reviews, then, for me?!?!?!?!**


	21. Guilt

**AN: Twenty-first chappie!!! YAY!!!**

**I'm so on a roll.**

(FANG POV)

I sat by the side as Storm worked on Max as much as she could.

We had only two and a half hours before Max could take a turn for the worst.

Of course, that could happen at any moment now, since we were growing closer to New York.

I sighed for what seemed the millionth time, angry with myself for letting this happen.

Max wouldn't be in this situation if I just hadn't walked away, leaving her to fend for herself down there.

The worst part was that Storm had no idea how deadly the poison was for sure.

Sudden turbulence awoke me up from my thoughts.

I rubbed my eyes open, taking a longing glance at Max who was still asleep, before looking to the rest of the jet.

"Logan, what's going on?" Rogue asked fearfully as she neared the front of the jet, near the pilot's seat.

Logan was growling, pressing hundreds of buttons, as the jet tipped again.

"Something's not right with the damn thing! Scott, get over here!" He yelled and that was when a man stepped out of the shadows.

Clad in khakis and an expensive-looking pair of shades, he trudged towards the front, unhurried in his efforts.

Looks like he didn't have much to live for.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a slow voice, his hands sweeping over the machine.

"That's what I wanna know and want you to fix, Cyke," Logan hissed as he jerked a thumb back towards us.

"We've got Max and she ain't doin' too good. We've got to get her back without this thing crashing."

The other man- Scott- nodded as his hands began to pull out random openings and twist or tweak with something.

"That should do it," Scott sighed, shutting the last of the drawers, and walking back towards us.

The rest of the teenagers were seated in the back, on a long pair of benches, chatting away about something.

"How far away are we, Logan?" The old man asked.

It was the first time I'd heard him speak.

"About an hour still. We're comin' across some lake."

My eyes shot up, feeling Max's hand tense underneath mine.

"Fort Loudon?" I asked, my voice tight.

"Yeah. Why?" Logan questioned in a curious tone.

Suddenly, Max's whole body jolted and the heart monitors raced off the charts.

"Max!" I cried, holding onto her arms as she shook violently.

"Here," The old man rushed over, placing both of his hands on either sides of her head.

He closed his eyes and suddenly Max stopped moving.

"What are you doing? Get away from her!" I yelled, shoving the man away while Max started to shake again.

"I was helping her, Fang! Max's mind is going crazy. She thinks she's back to square one, when she lost you. She heard the lake's name and remembered," He explained to me.

I shook my head, biting my lip, trying to think of someway to calm her down.

"Max, it's Fang. I'm here, baby. Please don't think I'm not. I won't ever leave you again, I promise! You've got to wake up. I'm right here," I whispered, feeling embarrassed at everyone watching me as I told her my feelings openly.

Her eyelids fluttered, then broke open, revealing her deep blue eyes.

She gave me a small smile, squeezing my hand, before the plane dived a couple of feet.

"Oh, God," Max cried, shutting her eyes as she sobbed.

"What's hurting, Max? Your head?" Storm placed a cold cloth on her forehead.

"No… it's _inside_ my head," Max whined, her breath coming short,

"Make it stop, Fang… stop it…"

"I will, baby. I will," I muttered, looking up at Storm to figure out what I should do.

"Oh, shit!" Logan cursed as the plane dropped another ten feet.

Everyone was suddenly rushing towards the front, questions being thrown out, the little kids crying, and the adults trying to calm them down all at once.

"STOP IT! JUST SHUT UP!" Max let out a blood-curling scream.

A hushed tone came over the rest.

"Max? How bad is it?" The older man stood next to her as the jet started to rattle.

"Can't hear… Fang," She gulped.

"Why not, Max? Is someone stopping you?"

She nodded.

"Who?" I wondered, my eyes scanning over the crowded interior.

Nobody was really paying us any attention; most were trying to figure out what was going wrong with the plane.

"Jean."

Silence.

Everyone, everything, every sound or every movement at that point just stopped.

I had no idea who they were talking about, but apparently, whoever she was, caught everyone's attention.

"What did… you just say?" Scott choked out as he moved closer.

"Jean… told me… to help you all. But… I can't! I told her… million times… won't leave me… alone," Max was still panting, her forehead now gleaming with tiny spots of sweat.

"Did she tell you anything about the poison?" Storm spoke finally.

"Told me… have to get back… before… I die. Medication should be… working in… a few minutes."

"Are you talking to her right now?" Scott pressed and Storm shook her head at him.

"Not right now, Sc-"

"Jean? Jean, are you there? Can you hear me?" Scott placed both of his hands on the side of Max's bed.

"She says… get back to the… mansion… immediately," Max finished, her head sinking back into the pillow.

"What? Why not? Is she still talking to you? Where is she? Is she alive?" Scott was shaking Max's shoulder now, begging for answers.

"Don't know why. Jean left… told everyone not… to worry."

"Where is she? Is she alive?!" Scott was now yelling, Max's face etched in frustration.

"Go away!"

"Not until you tell me what's going on!" His hands were crushing her shoulders now.

Was this guy insane or something?

"Get off of her! She doesn't know anything!" I shoved the man back, placing a spot between him and Max.

"She's got more answers! She's holding back something!" He yelled at me, trying to push past.

"Touch her again and I'll cut your balls off! That's a promise!" I snarled,

"She's been through hell and back, she's injected with some deadly poison, she's dying, and I swear if she dies because of you…" My hands were shaking now, wishing I could just rip those sunglasses right off his face,

"I will make sure you _never_, _ever_ see another day. And that's not just a _promise_, it's a _fact_."

Scott's breath toned down, mumbling under his breath, as he disappeared into a separate room.

Suddenly, an alarm set off for about three seconds, then shut off.

"What was that?" Max mumbled, worry covering her face.

"A signal," Storm sighed- a good sigh- as she placed a hand on Max's shoulder,

"We'll be at the mansion in five minutes."

"Oh, thank God," I muttered, planting a kiss on Max's lips.

It's just that… within those five minutes… the worst possible thing that _could_ happen, did.

"GET OUT! EVERYBODY GET OUT NOW! THE PLANE'S CRASHING!" Logan's voice screamed.

The last thing I remember was hanging on to Max, begging that if the parachute wrapped around our backs didn't work, that I would be the one to crash into the ground first.

Max's screams were all that I heard as I saw the dirt-covered path grow closer.

**AN: Holy crap! This be even more bad! Both Max and Fang can't die!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!**

**But next chapter should be up later tomorrow.**

**School first, then funeral for my cousin :( **

**I sad.**

**But I must pull through and type more stories!!!!!!**

**Right?**


	22. Tragedies

AN: Okay, never mind, instead of doing my homework, I'm going to type another chapter while watching Desperate Housewives!

**So you better appreciate this, people!**

(Fang POV)

I stroked her hair gently, making sure she stayed calm.

"Max, you've got to wake up. Please, baby…" My voice cracked and I knew I couldn't stand this any longer.

The Professor (who's name I had finally learned when they had been screaming it) had told me about thirty minutes ago he had sent some X-Men for the two of us.

We had crashed the farthest away, having jumped out first.

I leaned back against the tree trunk, begging to hear footsteps.

Nothing.

Nothing but leaves falling and listening to the sounds of a nearby creek.

Max inhaled sharply, in pain, as she cracked open her eyes.

"Fang?" She tried to sit up but I placed a hand on her shoulder, knowing she would understand.

"What happened? Where are we?"

"The plane crashed. But don't worry, everyone got out. The Professor sent some of the X-Men after us. They should be here any minute," I knew that most of this was a lie. I didn't know if the rest of the X-Men had survived, but apparently some had.

I also had no idea when they would get here.

But right now, lying was my best option.

She nodded, her fingers lacing into mine, as she kissed my hand.

"You feeling okay?" My eyes grazed over her, looking for any sign of pain.

"Head hurts. Leg feels broken," Max mumbled, her eyes closing again.

I didn't want her to go to sleep again, so I broke her up into a sitting position next to me.

"You can't go to sleep, Max. You have to stay awake, okay?"

"But it's too cold…"

"What?" I was shocked.

My shirt was already covered with sweat and I probably couldn't even cut through the humidity.

"I'm freezing," Max shivered again, curling up next to me, causing my body temperature to rise even more.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I stared into her eyes.

She sighed, knowing I had caught her,

"What if they don't get here soon enough? What happens if they can't get here before…" Her voice trailed off.

I hugged her closer to me, pressing my lips against her temple,

"Please don't say that. Please don't remind me. They're going to get here before. We're going to save you. Just please, _please_ believe me, baby."

But I could tell she didn't believe me.

Not one single thought, cell, or part of her body believed those words.

"Have you talked to the Professor yet?" Max muttered next to me.

"No. Why?" I wondered what that meant.

"Never mind. He'll talk to you soon enough," She tensed.

"No, Max, tell me. Why do I need to talk to him?" I rubbed an area between her wings, watching how her face relaxed.

"Jackass," She laughed quietly as I continued to massage her.

"And why is that?" I whispered, kissing her lips lightly.

"Cause you know the exact way to get anything out of me," She chuckled, her lips pressed against mine.

As we continued our kissing, I could hear voices calling our names.

"Over here!" I yelled, before going back to kissing my girlfriend, who was now giggling.

"Get a room!" Bobby yelled once he was close enough to see.

"Ow, ow! Getting some action tonight, are we, Fang?" Adam laughed at the two of us.

But I didn't care right now.

I had Max in my arms, we were going back to the mansion, and everything would be okay.

But then Max collapsed, her breath shortening as she blacked out.

Scratch that- everything would _not_ be okay.

AN: Dang. Two tragedies in two chapters. First, then plane crashes and we don't know who survives.

**Then Max takes a turn for the worst while everything is all happy-go-lucky.**

**Damn. (To quote Peanut, from Jeff Dunham's movie)**


	23. Farewell My Lover

**AN: Chapter twenty three!!!**

**YAY!!!!!**

**Yeah, I didn't go to my cousin's "visiting friends" thing.**

**Cause it wasn't the funeral, so I might go tomorrow.**

**Or I might go to the Haunted Corn Maze over in Corryton, TN.**

**Depends on when the funeral is, and if my sister is going to take my friend and me.**

**ANYWAY,**

**Here comes another FABULOUS chapter!!!**

(FANG POV)

(Song should be underlined)

We arrived back at the mansion once Max's condition worsened.

"Oh, no! How long has she been like this?" Storm rushed by my side, placing Max on a hospital bed as we brought her into the lab.

"About fifteen minutes. They found us right as she started to freak," I explained, my hands still gripped to Max's.

In my hands 

"Fang, you're going to have to let go. Wait outside with the others. There's nothing more you can do right now, honey," Storm spoke to me gently, but my fingers still clung to my everything.

A legacy of memories 

"I promised, Storm. I promised her everything would be all right, that she would survive. And now look at her: she's not talking, she might possibly be unconscious, she's in fatal condition, and it's all my fault."

I can hear you say my name 

I gave Max a sad, long look before letting go, kissing her gently on the cheek, as I watched Storm wheel her into the deeper parts of the lab.

I can almost see your smile 

I came outside the double sliding doors that formed a giant "X" when they were closed, and leaned against the wall.

Feel the warmth of your embrace 

I could feel myself slipping down it, my knees growing weak, as I collapsed to the floor, tears stinging my eyes.

But there is nothing but silence now 

I had so little time with Max, and what I did have, wasn't enough.

Around the one I loved 

I wanted to make sure she was all right, complete the promise I'd made her and stay with her through everything.

I didn't want to watch her be taken away, not knowing if I would ever see those deep blue eyes open again.

Is this our farewell? 

She had been through hell; first going along with me on this roller coaster ride, diving into a lake then not finding me, surviving a mental ward, escaping to the mansion, being poisoned by the crazy psychos at Essex.

Sweet darling you worry too much, my child 

What if, after all that she and I had been through, she didn't make it?

That all this running, fighting, and worrying didn't mean a damn thing, because in the end, Max was going to die because of some stupid medication?

See the sadness in your eyes 

I sobbed, a lump forming in my throat, as I let this sink in.

What happens if Storm comes out here, shaking her head, and trying to pull me into a hug?

You are not alone in life 

Then I would know for sure that Max was dead, I would have to go in and see her lifeless body.

And I would also have to bury her six feet under.

Although you might think that you are 

Logan and the others were surrounding me now, barging me with question, asking when we had gotten back and if Max was going to make it.

Never thought

"Shut up!" I screamed, unable to take much more of this.

I ran off down the hallway, screeching to a stop as I found another door.

This day would come so soon 

It slid open, showing me towards an elevator.

I pressed the top button, not even thinking where it would take me- but not really caring at this point either- as I slid down to the tile floor, tears slipping out of my eyes now.

We had no time to say goodbye 

Max wasn't going to make it, I realized.

There was no possible way she would.

How can the world just carry on? 

After all, that had been our life for the past few months, being so happy and finally able to have some time to ourselves, while in a second, that perfect world was pulled out from under us.

I feel so lost when you are not by my side 

But only this time, Max was falling, instead of the both of us.

I so badly wished for her body beside mine, her lips pressed against mine, to be wrapping my arms around her waist, whispering into her ear.

Promising her, again, that everything would be okay.

But there's nothing but silence now 

But it wasn't.

And Max had already known that. She knew everything wouldn't be okay.

Around the one I loved 

Maybe she'd even known she was going to take a turn for the worst, and was just making her last moments.

Is this our farewell? 

I reached the top level, bursting out of the claustrophobic space, as my feet hit the rooftop.

So sorry your world is tumbling down

I paced back and forth, finally collapsing near the wall that separated me and the ground, four stories below.

I will watch you through these nights 

I could have jumped over it if I wanted to, I could have just tucked my wings in, prayed I wouldn't make it, and jump.

There was no one around to stop me, to tell me not to.

Rest your head and go to sleep 

My whole world was gone, why should I care what happens to me now?

Why live my life in such pain, such misery, that I caused the death of my love, and not live in another life with her?

I had my hand gripping the side; legs ready to jump over to the other side, the one that had no true grounding.

And I would have.

"Fang."

That voice, that sweet, innocent voice that I thought had left me from this earth, was talking.

"You're not real," I hissed, tears falling down to the ground below that would be my death marker.

"Why? Why am I not real, Fang? Do you not want me to be?" The voice asked again, sounding hurt this time.

But just like all the other times.

"Because you're not! I've seen you a thousand times before! You tell me every time not to do it, and I don't, and then you disappear! It's not fair, Max! It's not fair because you're not re-"

I was spun around, grabbed by my head, and forced into the sweetest kiss I had ever tasted.

"That real enough for you?" She smirked, placing a hand on my cheek as she stroked my jaw.

"I think I could do with another one," I grinned, kind of embarrassed that she was seeing me cry.

She kissed my lips again, giggling,

"Aww, come on, I think you're adorable when you cry. Especially over me."

Another smirk.

Suddenly, I froze,

"Wait- how did you know what I was thinking?"

Because my child, this not our farewell.

Max sent me the most terrific smile, one that was literally breaking my heart into two pieces- one for her and one for me.

"Guess we got a lot of catching up to do, huh?" Then she took my hand, leading me towards the ledge, spreading out her wings, and jumped off with me.

This is not our farewell…

**AN: Forgot to put something here.**

**Whoops.**

In Loving Memory of Andrew Monroe 

_**August 13**__**th**__**, 1986 – October 27**__**th**__**, 2007**_

_His laugh still echoes in the depths of my brain;  
And when I hear it, it causes me pain.  
I miss him so much - mere words cannot say,  
How this heartache devours me night and day...  
But my memories are strong and time heals grief,  
So I dream of the future - and quiet relief.  
As I browse through my photos with love and pride,  
I know that this sorrow will someday subside,   
Leaving happy memories in its place  
Memories of him and his smiling face.  
A loving farewell, my dear, adieu.  
My heart belongs ever and always to you._

_Love ya, cuz,_

_Kaila_


	24. Animals

**AN: Twenty-third chappie! Might be one of my last!**

**SO ENJOY!!! Song is underlined. And this chapter is a little sexual, so if you don't like minor sexual stuff, skip this chapter, basically.**

**Ha, ha. **

**But don't blame me, blame NICKELBACK CAUSE THEY ROCK!!!!**

(FANG POV)

AN: CAUSE HE'S FINALLY BACK!!! YAY!!!!!

I, I'm driving black on black 

I sped my new car up to the pair of double doors, beeping the horn twice.

Just got my license back 

I saw a few lights flicker on, wondering what all the commotion was about.

I got this feeling in my veins 

But she would be out the door by that time.

This train is coming off the track 

The minute I saw her my heart jumped, eager for her to hurry up so I could see her seated next to me.

I'll ask polite if the devil needs a ride

"Fang!" She quietly hissed as she slid open her window.

"What?" I smirked, knowing she was rolling her eyes by now.

Because the angel on my right ain't hanging out with me tonight 

"You know what! Quit making so much racket! You dad 'll have your ass!" She giggled, dropping down to the ground as she raced towards my car.

I'm driving past your house while you were sneaking out

I quickly snapped open the passenger car door, watching as she slid in beside me.

I got the car door opened up so you can jump in on the run 

"Ready?" I grinned as she replied with a kiss on my lips.

I could never get enough of that.

Your mom don't know that you were missing 

"Ready," She winked, slamming her door, apparently not bothering in the "don't make noise" part anymore.

She'd be pissed if she could see the parts of you that I've been kissing 

The front door was just opening as the two of us sped into the distance, headed towards our favorite spot.

Screamin' 

"So, where we headed to?" Max asked me as I turned onto another road.

No, we're never gonna quit 

I never knew why she asked me every time, even though she always knew the answer.

Ain't nothing wrong with it 

"Mexico," I lied, knowing she would lightly slap my arm, smile at me, then kiss my lips.

Just acting like we're animals 

And just like every other time, she laughed.

No, no matter where we go 

Slapped my arm.

Cause everybody knows 

This time, instead of a smile, was a wicked grin.

We're just a couple of animals 

Suddenly, her hands were at my belt buckler, slipping her fingers inside it while she slipped her tongue into my mouth.

So come on baby, get in  
Get in, just get in

Okay, this was different.

Check out the trouble we're in 

"Max, what are you-" She placed a finger on my lips, covering them with hers, as she tossed the belt into the backseat.

You're beside me on the seat

I could feel the wind against my abs now as she pushed my shirt up.

Got your hand between my knees

Then there was something between my boxers and skin, dancing it's way down…

And you control how fast we go by just

Oh, God. This wasn't like the other times.

How hard you wanna squeeze

"Max…" I wheezed, begging her to stop at the same time I pleaded she wouldn't.

It's hard to steer when you're

Her lips were all over my face now; my jaw, my neck, my lips.

Breathing in my ear

"Yes?" Her voice had turned so sexy that it almost caused me to pull the car right over then, in the middle of the interstate, and take advantage of the situation.

But I got both hands on the wheel

I laughed, kissing her back as her hands… well… continued, and whispered,

"Tease."

While you got both hands on my gears

"Oh, come on, Fang," Max pressed herself up against me closer,

"We all know you're the tease."

By now, no doubt that we were heading south

"And how," I struggled again,

"Is that?" I was barely making any sense. My thoughts were jumbled as she kissed me on last time then her lips disappeared.

I guess nobody ever taught her not to speak with a full mouth

Then they were back, just not on my face.

Cause this was it, like flicking on a switch 

"Oh, God, Max…" I groaned, my head slamming back against the headrest.

It felt so good I almost drove into the ditch 

Her eyes met mine as I pulled off the interstate,

"Who's the tease now?"

I'm screamin' 

Shaking my head, I kissed her passionately,

"Me."

No, we're never gonna quit 

"And why is that?" She barely got out between kisses.

Ain't nothing wrong with it 

"Cause I haven't repaid you," I winked as she slid back into her seat.

Just acting like we're animals 

"Oh, really? Are you planning to?"

No, no matter where we go 

I brought my head back, feeling coldness in my lower region.

Before I could move my hands, Max had buttoned my pants back up.

"Thanks," I looked over at her to see her fumbling with her shoes.

We're just a couple of animals 

"Why'd you do that anyway?" I asked her, nodding towards my pants.

So come on baby, get in

Get in, just get in

It was kind of weird how she knew, well, with her knew powers I'm sure she could have hea-

"Not like you'll be needing them for long," She shrugged, leaning back up against me as she breathed into my ear,

"Besides, I want _me_ to make you hard, not anybody or anything else."

Check out the trouble we're in 

The song was nearing the last verse now as I drove up to the secluded area of trees where Max and I always snuggled up to one another.

But apparently, this time would be different.

We were parked out by the tracks 

As soon as the car was turned off, the radio playing loud to drown our kisses, Max's hands were all over me.

We're sitting in the back

She pulled my shirt off, running her hands over my chest, kissing the places where her fingers had been.

And we just started getting busy 

I slipped her out of her jeans and tank top, leaving her and I in only our boxers and…

"Thong?" I asked, slipping my fingers up her hip.

She shrugged, pressing her body closer to mine, so that her chest was laying on top of mine.

Her lips grabbed a hold of mine as my hands reached up to drag the strip of fabric away from her body.

When she whispered "what was that?"

Suddenly, a loud call from somewhere in the middle of the woods was heard.

The wind, I think 'cause no one else knows where we are

We both froze, knowing someone else was out there.

"Max! Fang! Get your asses back here!" Logan's voice was plain and clear now.

And that was when she started screamin'

"Shit!" I exclaimed, trying to find my clothes as Max dove into the floorboard, clipping on her bra.

"That's my dad outside the car!" 

"Fang I know you're out there! You too Max!" Logan was gaining closer now, and I was so afraid.

Not of getting caught, exactly, but my balls being chopped off by Logan.

He had kind of become Max's father through this whole experience, adopting her like she was his own.

Oh please, the keys, they're not in the ignition 

"Fang! The keys!" Max cried, trying to slip one of her toned legs into a pair of jeans.

Must have wound up on the floor while

I think they were mine, though.

We were switching our positions 

"Damn it!" I cursed, my fingers scanning the floorboard for them.

No luck whatsoever.

I guess they knew that she was missing 

That damn radio was going to give us away.

I could see the headlight of Logan's motorcycle through the trees now, as he gained closer.

With seconds to spare, Max and I were fully clothed as we acted innocent, curled up in each other's arms as Logan walked around the side of the vehicle.

"Hey, Logan. Missing something?" Max grinned, her eyes trying not to give out her guiltiness.

"You tell me, Max," Logan said.

As I tried to tell her dad it was her mouth that I was kissing 

The two of us exchanged confused glances before Logan's hand rose up, revealing a pair of sequined pink thongs.

Screamin' 

"Oh. Those," Max blushed, snatching them from Logan's hand as the older man nodded.

No, we're never gonna quit 

"Out guys. You two are supposed to be in bed by now," Logan ordered.

Ain't nothing wrong with it 

I was about to turn the keys in the ignition when Logan placed a hand on my shoulder.

Just acting like we're animals 

"Sorry, bud, she's riding with me," Logan growled.

Max and I exchanged a look, me catching that twinkle in her eye as she slowly grinned mischievously at me.

No, no matter where we go 

"Oh, my God, Logan!" Max screeched, pointing to something up ahead.

"What?" His eyes narrowed, trying to find the source of what Max was so afraid of.

Cause everybody knows 

"It's… The Director… I swear! Logan get him away from me! GET HIM AWAY FROM ME NOW! PLEASE!" Max started hyperventilating, shaking and crying, as Logan walked to the front of the car.

"Max, it's okay. Nobody's out the-"

"Yes he is! Logan don't let him kill me! Please!" Max was hanging onto the seat now, her eyes wide with terror.

We're just a couple of animals 

I almost cracked up laughing as Logan ran out in to the woods, searching for a person who would never be there in a million years.

I hoped.

So come on baby, get in 

"Perfect," I smirked, slamming the car into reverse and speeding back out onto the highway.

"Max! Fang! Your ass is mine!" Logan growled from between the clearing as the car raced away.

We're just a couple of animals 

"Sorry, Logan! Must have been a squirrel!" Max laughed, grabbing my chin and pressing her lips against mine.

Get in, just get in 

"So, wanna head home so we don't get into more trouble?"

Ain't nothing wrong with it 

She shook her beautiful head, kissing me before answering,

"Nope. Just wanna finish what we started."

Check out the trouble we're in 

And, oddly enough, I didn't have any trouble with that idea.

We're just a couple of animals… 

**AN: YAY!!! They are so fruckin cute!!!!**

**Anyway, the song was "Animals" by Nickelback.**

**The other song in the previous chapter was "Our Farewell" by Within Temptation.**

**I swear on Madonna's grave (cause I don't like her at all ha, ha) that they have hands-down the best lyrics to use in Maximum Ride stories.**

**Lots of saving the world, bad-girl songs, yet some sad and good ones for Fang and Max.**

**Check 'em out.**

**In the mean time, this story should be winding down.**

**I have a really great idea for an epilogue and you're gonna laugh when you see it cause it links back to their first date, in The Perfect Stranger.**


	25. Crashing Surburbans While Proposing

**AN: Sorry, sorry, sorry!!**

**So sorry guys that you have waited this long for another chapter. It's just I've been busy with school and then my cousin's funeral… so I didn't have time.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. It's going to the be the last one… but if I feel like it… I might make it a cliffhanger-ending and that will leave room for another story.**

**But probably not.**

**It all depends.**

**MAX POV**

I glanced at myself in the mirror again, making sure everything was perfect.

I sighed, trying to force myself to realize nothing could go wrong on this day. Because nothing was _supposed_ to.

But with my luck, something probably would.

"Max! Hurry up! They need you for pictures!" Nudge hissed to me as she stuck her head inside the room.

"Okay!" I groaned, fixing my dress again.

I could hear the party through the door, chattering and laughing.

I couldn't see how they could be, when the butterflies in my stomach were performing complex trapeze routines.

"Five minutes!" Nudge called through the door this time.

I was about ready to slap her.

Well, technically, I was ready to slap anybody. I wasn't mad, I was just so… there were no words.

Nervous, mostly.

Reapplying the last of my mascara and some more lip-gloss, I straightened my dress again, then exited the bathroom.

I could hear my family downstairs, waiting for the most important person.

And for once, it was me.

Logan was barking at Fang to stop fooling around and get to the bottom of the stairwell to escort me to the limo.

He must have "smelled" me coming out of the bathroom- not that I stunk or anything, but he could sense my scent.

I was used to it by now.

My friends were already down in the living room, arm-in-arm with their prom dates.

What? You thought I was talking about my wedding?

Nope, sorry. I'm _way _too young to be getting married.

Besides, I'm only eighteen.

My dress, in case you were wondering, is one hundred percent fuchsia/pink color.

Strapless, with tiny diamonds sprinkled all over it.

**AN: I'll give you a link at the bottom to see what the dress looks like. Hopefully, it will work.**

Fang hadn't seen it yet, but everyone else said I looked drop-dead sexy in it.

I stepped up to the landing, my hand shaking on the railing as I descended.

It seemed that every head turned to meet mine, eyes shining and smiles greeting me as I stepped down to meet Fang, slipping his arm through mine.

He kissed me on the cheek, whispering quickly,

"You look gorgeous."

"I love you dress, Max! You look amazing!" My new best friend Summer giggled, hugging me quickly before grabbing her date, Andrew.

"Thanks," I smiled, posing for a picture Storm snapped.

After all of the posing and Kodak moments, we were finally allowed to leave the house.

"You two have a good time," Logan kissed me on the cheek, squeezing my shoulder as we were the last to step out of the door.

"We will," Fang promised, giving me once last glance before we piled into the limo.

Later 

After prom, we all decided to go to the after-party back at the school (since the prom was held in the nearby Thompson Boling Arena).

The limo dropped us all off back at my house (the mansion) and the girls all fled up to my room to get out of our dresses.

The guys changed into shorts and shirts while we opted for skirts and tank tops.

We all fled, piling into two Surburban's, as we drove towards the high school Fang and I had attended for our senior year.

With the radio blaring, all the girls sped down the interstate, racing with the boys, as we all danced to "Crazy Bitch" by Buckcherry.

Hey You're crazy bitch 

I danced through the sunroof with Cayce, sticking out tongues out at the boys.

_But you fuck so good I'm on top of it_

We all sang along, knowing this would be the most fun we would have in a long time, with Finals and everything.

_When I dream_

"I'm doing you all night! Scratches all down my back to keep me right on!"

Our hair was flipping wildly in the wind as the boys' car sped up, meeting ours.

"Take it off! The paper is your game. You jump in bed with fame!" Andrew sang along to our CD.

He had "pimped out" his Suburban, by making it, somehow, convertible.

I'm sure you think it looks weird, but actually it was pretty awesome.

The guys were whistling, making catcalls, and speeding past us.

_Another one night paid in full_

"You're so fine. It won't be a loss. Cashing in the rocks. Just to get you face to face!" The boys yelled to us as we laughed, waving to them as we turned quickly onto the exit.

_Hey_

_You're crazy bitch _

"Where are they going?" Summer called to me out of the driver's seat.

"I don't know!" I glanced back as the boy's waved bye, speeding off down the interstate, while we made our way down the exit ramp._  
But you fuck so good I'm on top of it_

_When I dream_

As we pulled away from the streetlight, we saw cars filled with seniors, headed to the party.

_I'm doing you all night  
Scratches all down my back to keep me right on_

"Hey Max!" Kara Sparks yelled to me from her boyfriend's Mustang as they drove up next to us.

"Yeah?" She and I hadn't been friends much, being on opposite "cliques".

"Great song!" She grinned.

I nodded, swaying my body to the music, for once in my life being the average teenager, headed to a party.

_Get the video  
Fuck you so good_

"All right! New song!" Summer complained.

We all groaned, Cayce peeking back in to slap Summer hand away from the dials.

"Don't-"

_Crazy bitch_

We shrieked as the SUV swerved to miss a car.

Missing it by mere inches, we slammed against a telephone pole.

"Holy shit!" Summer cried, opening the door and walking out to inspect the damage.

The rest of us climbed on out, noticing we only had bruises and minor cuts from the accident.

"My Dad's gonna kill me!" Summer groaned, crying onto my shoulder.

"Max!" Fang's voice yelled from across the street, as the other Suburban gained closer, pulling off into the Pilot Gas Station parking lot before the five guys piled out, racing towards us.

His hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me away from Summer, as he kissed my lips.

His body was shaking, his hands pushing away some hair off my face, as he whispered,

"I got a call. From Troy. He said you had crashed. Oh, God… I didn't know what to think."

"It's okay, Fang. We only crashed into a telephone pole. No harm done."

A wail from Summer caused me to smirk,

"Well, not a lot, at least."

He laughed along with me, even though I could tell he was visibly shaken.

"Well, climb into our ride, girls. Cause whether or not Summer drives like a maniac, you are still goin with us!" Andrew grinned as Summer slapped him as he finished this statement.

We all just shrugged, climbing into the back, and sped off towards the high school.

**Later**

_This time, this place_

We sat beside the huge bonfire out on the football field, blankets wrapped around each of us.

_Misused, mistakes_

Fang wrapped his arm tighter around my waist as the sun faded across the horizon.

_Too long, too late_

"So, what are your plans for after graduation, Max?" Zoe, Cory's date, asked me as we sat around, drinking the last of our beer.

_Who was I to make you wait_

It was just us ten: Cory, Zoe, Summer, Andrew, Fang, me, Cayce, Iggy, Kimberly, and Jason.

The rest of the school was over on the other side of the bonfire, and we could hear their laughter and giggles through the fire.

_Just one chance_

"I don't know really, yet. I think I'll probably become a teacher, down at Professor's school."

_Just one breath_

I hadn't really thought of what I wanted to do.

"What about you, Igsta?" Zoe continued down the line.

Iggy shrugged,

"Taxi driver."

_Just in case there's just one left_

Everyone laughed, Cayce placing a hand on his shoulder to keep herself steady.

_Cause you know, you know, you know_

"No, I'm joking. Seriously, I'm thinking about becoming a web page designer. I got some great ideas."

"And you, Fang?" Zoe nodded next to my right, and I smirked.

_I love you_

"Stripper."

I slapped his arm playfully, resting my head against his shoulder after everyone finished laughing over that.

_I have loved you all along  
And I miss you_

He was still thinking, fiddling with something inside his pocket.

"Do you know, Max?" Cayce nodded towards me.

_Far away for far too long_

"Nope. He hasn't even told me," I shrugged, my eyes turning back to his.

"Well… are you gonna tell us?" Summer asked, rolling her eyes impatiently.

_I keep dreaming you'll be with me  
and you'll never go_

Fang took in a breath, then let it out, bringing his hands back out of his jacket pocket.

_Stop breathing if  
I don't see you anymore_

"Since I'm hoping Max will say yes," Fang paused, letting the hand around my waist grip the tiny object,

"I think I'll be marrying Max Ride."

_On my knees, I'll ask_

My jaw dropped as Fang moved closer, opening the lid to the velvet box, and revealing a diamond ring.

_Last chance for one last dance_

"Maximum Karianna Nicole Ride, will you marry me?" His voice quivered as I held my breath, words taken from me.

Cause with you, I'd withstand

"Yes," I whispered, so softly I'm surprised he heard it.

_All of hell to hold your hand_

And I wasn't sure he had until he jumped up, towing me up with him, and slid the finger onto my left hand.

_I'd give it all_

With that finished, he wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing his lips to mine.

_I'd give for us_

"Oh, my God! You two… are… getting married?!" Suddenly everyone was clapping and cheering, Cayce's voice ringing in my ear.

_Give anything but I won't give up_

Fang's lips were still on mine, his tongue sliding across my lower lip.

_Cause you know, you know, you know…_

The alarm clock woke up, blaring in my ear the special song.

I sighed, wrapping my arms around myself, and noticed how cold I felt.

The place beside me was empty, showing he hadn't been there.

My mind was unsettled, switching between real memories and dreams.

Maybe Fang had never said this. Maybe it had all been a dream.

Maybe he didn't love me anymore, and that was just my mind trying to force myself to think that he did.

"Max?" Fang's voice appeared in my bedroom, dripping with worry.

"Yes?" I called from behind the bathroom door, half of the Neutrogena on my face.

The door burst opened, revealing Fang clad in nothing but boxers and (black of course) sweats.

His face lit up, his grin growing wider, as he slid behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I love you," His whispered, half-talking half-singing along with the words,

"I have loved you all along. And I miss you. Been far away for far too long. I keep dreaming you'll be with me. And you'll never go…" His lips found mine, throughout the blue mask, as I slid my still-lotioned hands around his shoulders.

_Stop breathing if  
I don't see you anymore_

I was sort-of "not breathing" now on account of Fang's mouth covering mine.

But hey, I wasn't complaining.

_So far away_

He pulled away, grinning into my eyes, as he felt the lotion on the back of his neck.

_Far away for far too long_

"Gross," He fakely groaned, sliding his hands up my sides, resting them around my face.

_So far away_

"Excuse me, little boy?" I snapped, smirking as he looked actually shocked.

"You should take a shower," He offered, the corner of his mouth jerking up in smirk.

_Been far away for far too long_

"As should you," I mumbled as I shoved past Fang to turn on the shower.

_But you know, you know, you know…_

As I was undressing, I saw Fang walk out.

Maybe he had thought I was mad at him.

_All I wanted_

I started to head out towards him, to apologize and tell him that I loved him, but his chest blocked the way.

_I wanted you to stay_

"Yes?" His eyes danced, amused.

_Cause I needed_

"I was going to-"

"Beg me to come back?" Fang finished, grinning as he slid off my pajama shorts.

_I need to hear you say:_

His breath was hot in my ear as he pushed us against the shower curtain, his hands roaming my body.

_That I love you_

"I just went in there to turn the music up."

He hummed along with the words, sometimes whispering them in my ear, as we climbed into the shower stall.

_I have loved you all along_

"And I forgive you. For being away for far too long," I sang along, burying my head into his shoulder as we held each other.

The hot water beat down all around us, like the rain, strong and silent.

"So keep breathing. Cause I'm not leaving you anymore," Fang muttered, so low I'm surprised I caught it.

_Believe it_

"Hold on to me and never let me go."

Our lips met as the song ended, never breaking as the radio blared louder.

_Keep breathing  
Cause I'm not leaving you anymore_

"Why did you turn it up so loud?" I asked, having to block out the volume with the sound of Fang's breaths.

_Believe it  
Hold on to me...never let me go_

His chest rumbled as he chuckled, sliding his hands up to my face as he kissed me harder.

"You really want to know?"

I nodded, obviously not understanding.

Well, come on, the radio was as far as it would go, and I'm sure we were in big trouble with Logan.

_Keep breathing_

"To cover up us," He gave me a wink and slammed me against the wall, assaulting my mouth as I sighed contentedly.

_Hold on to me...never let me go…_

**AN: Aww!!! This chapter was so sweet.**

**So, Max and Fang are going to get married. I was hoping to tie in "crazy bitch" but never got a chance to. Oh, well. **

**First song was "Crazy Bitch" by Buckcherry.**

**Second song was "Far Away" by Nickelback.**

**I'm off to type a whole new story, which I already have the first chapter planned out.**

**Here's a sneak peak (man, I feel like some movie premiere):**

"**She was running. **

**From what, she didn't know. **

**She just knew she had to leave. **

**To leave and never come back. As she ran, stumbling over tree roots and over grown paths, she tried to figure out what that something was. **

**Could it have been just the sheer shock of what they had told her?**

**Possibly.**

**Or maybe it was that something else, that something she had to figure out.**

**That something was the reason she was running.**

**Not away, but to. To that something.**

**But she dug deeper, scraping the abysses of her mind. **

**Maybe a word- a sentence- from sometime ago.**

**A couple of words that long ago meant nothing, but now meant so much more.**

**As she replayed them in her mind, the thoughts haunted her as an unwanted ghost would.**

"**You're not real."**

**Yay!!! So, how did you like it?**

**Story should be up soon.**

**Don't know what it's called though, yet.**

**Just keep an eye out for it, though!!!**

**Thank you to my best friend, Kayla, all my fans, and everyone who loves seeing Fang shirtless and naked in shower scenes!!! (gah!!!) Anyway, thanks everyone for reading!**


	26. FINALLY! The REAL chapter!

From: Ur.Fav.Gurl 

**OR**

**TigerRising**

**I made a new story! It's called "Promise to Yourself".**

**So just click on my name, go to my profile, and find it!**

**It's on it's fifth chapter right now!**

**Oh, I forgot to put in Max's dress (sorry!!!!) **

**So…. Yeah**

**But anyway, a storm is a brewin' and I'm afraid the power will go out so… I'll check in with you guys later!!!**

**Thanks!!**

**DANGET!!! I've loaded this chapter twice, and it still won't pop up with that stupid link.**

**I'm going to TRY to upload it to my profile.**

**And I can't really remember where I got the prom dress picture, so… yeah….**

**Ok. I finally got the dress. **

**Go to Google**

**Type in "pink prom dress" on the web tab.**

**Go down to the Pink Prom Dress 2007 Prom Dress Collection. It's the second one.**

**Click on it, and then go down to the very bottom and click on **

**Flirt- Maggie Sottero designs**

**Go to page 5**

**The pink dress in on the second row, third one down.**

**HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!!**

**And sorry for all this, it's just that the link wouldn't come in on this stupid website!!!**

**And after that, go read my new story, Promise to Yourself!!!**


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